Try Me
by steph2009
Summary: Noel Kreiss and Lightning Farron's relationship started with that simple two word demand. ((This story is set in an alternate universe. The events of Lightning Returns will not occur.)) Disclaimer:: Final Fantasy XIII-2 belongs to Square Enix.
1. Explanation

**Try Me**

**Explanation**

**Chapter Summary: **The first time Lightning hears the small two letter demand, she has no idea of the emotions it is a plea for an explanation. One, she thinks with amusement, Noel Kreiss will not even remember her giving; but, she realizes, it is the beginning of something.

**NOTE: **This story is set in an alternate universe mainly for this very chapter. This all started because I had an idea that just wouldn't leave me alone. I had planned to end it after this chapter, but it would feel incomplete.

* * *

The harsh landing knocked the breath from Lightning's body. She had only gotten a fast glimpse at her surroundings before darkness took over. Still, even as she slipped into unconsciousness, she knew Etro had found a way to save her. There had been an opening just before the explosion. Lightning had shot straight into it as the buildings of Valhalla fell to the ground below. Her last thought had been of Serah and Noel. Had he made it to the gate before the debris could fall onto it?

* * *

"What was that?" Noel muttered as he stood from his spot on the pier. He had never felt more lost. Caius had left them. Yeul was gone. He could still feel her there in his arms before she disappeared in blinding golden light. Through the emotional pain, Noel began to walk toward the spot that he had seen the falling figure. His best friends had just left him to this desolate, damn-near empty world.

"Noel!" He turned his head to see the sick young woman that had lived next door to him all of his life. Her name was Ume. She would be beautiful if it weren't for the lifeless look in her eyes. Like many here, Ume had lost her family. Noel was the only one she had left. He shivered underneath the weight of the knowledge. "Did you see that?" She coughed. He nodded sharply.

"Going to check it out now," he told her. She nodded. Her faded brown eyes regarded him with affection and care. It made him shift uncomfortably. All of these people here looked at him as if he were salvation.

"Be careful," she wished of him. Noel nodded again and began to walk away. He could feel her eyes, along with the eyes of many others, tracking his movements. He felt caged like the animals that he hunted. Noel was the only one walking toward the site. The only few people left did not dare to venture out so far away from the young. Used to that consisted of Yeul, Caius, and he. Now, it was only him.

Desperation and fear used his throat to clench up for a moment. Fear, not of the unknown, but for the people that waited just in their huts not a few feet back. They all put so much hope and faith in him. He knew he would fail them. What could he do to save them? There was no magic cure for this hell. Briefly, he thought of the gate that rested a few feet into the pier. He shook his head roughly. No. That was the easy, cowardly way out. He wouldn't leave, not so long as people needed him.

He froze dead in tracks as he reached the site. He knew every man and woman that had ever passed through this land. The beautiful woman that lay at the bottom of the crater was not one he had ever seen; surely he would remember such a beauty. Her ice pink hair was clustered around her neck. Armor of old adored her body almost sensually. Feathers branched out from her armor and draped over one leg. He slid down into the crater to check if she were breathing. He could feel the thrum of her pulse underneath his fingers.

Noel glanced at her body for injuries. The armor she had worn was badly bent in many places. One area in particular worried him: her ribs. The armor was dented deeply just in that area. She more than likely had a few broken bones. Noel cursed his luck. He had enough to deal with back at the small village, but he could not leave her. He studied the armor for a moment. She would breathe easier if he removed it. He reached the ties and loosened them. She moaned low in her throat from the painful relief. Noel flinched. A fall like that should have killed her.

"Just what are you?" He wondered as he scooped her into his arms. It would be a little awkward to walk back into camp with a woman such as she draped into his arms. He would have to deal with the hopeful looks in the eyes of the Ume and the elderly men. He swallowed and unconsciously tightened his arms around her.

* * *

Consciousness hurt, Lightning decided. She pushed her pain away and focused on her surroundings. She could feel warm, soft fur over her. After so long of not being able to lie down or even sleep, it felt like a foreign heaven. She could feel the snug bindings of something around her chest and waist. Her foot and ankle were also bound. She was naked except for those bindings, she realized. Something cold touched her overheated forehead. Her eyes flew open in shock at the sudden temperature change. A pale, sickly woman with faded blonde hair and even more faded brown eyes greeted her sight.

"I patched you up the best I could…you'll have to rest for a while though…" The woman whispered. Lightning blinked in confusion as the woman scuttled out of the room. She heard light whispering coming from outside the hut. In that next moment, the flap opened and in stepped a familiar face, a familiar body.

"Noel?" The beautiful woman croaked as she sat up. The cover fell from atop her revealing white bandages stained slightly with the red of blood. She winced in pain at the discomfort in her ribs. Noel tilted his head to the side at the whisper of his name. She knew his name, but he could not recall ever meeting her. His hawk like eyes took in the flinch that she gave at the pain.

"How do you know me?" He demanded. She blinked at him for a moment. Noel swallowed back his impatience as she glanced around at her surroundings. Lightning had seen this setting before, she realized. When Noel had prayed for a miracle, he had been in this place. The bed underneath her was covered with black fur. It was soft underneath her fingertips. She fought off the urge to fall back and curl into the fur again. The area around them was eerily silent. There were none of the sounds that she had grown accustomed to in Valhalla or even the sounds of the Gran Pulse. She turned back to him. She was in his time then, but why had Etro send her here? "Who are you?"

"Lightning," she answered easily. She completely ignored his first question. How would she answer that? The longer she sat underneath the covering of his bed, the more tired she became. How long had it been since she had last slept? How long had she been battling Caius on the other side? The thought of Caius brought another worrying thought to her. If she was here then where was Caius? Had she left Etro unprotected? Her heart raced as she threw her feet over the side of his bed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where are you going?" He asked her as he flocked in front of her. His hands landed gently on her forearms. Lightning tensed. Her very being wanted to strike back against him for touching her, but what would mean to her in Valhalla stopped her. He was her only chance at getting her sister with her. So, she needed him in one piece.

"I need to-" She moved to answer him. She moved to push his hands off of her, but she couldn't complete the action. The pain in her ribs robbed her of breath. It hurt to pull that same breath back in. His blue eyes softened slightly, but she could still see the stern resolve in his eyes.

"What you need," he said softly, "is to lie back down and recover." She bristled slightly at the suggestion. "You'll be of no use to anyone if you go now." He reminded her gently. "You have three broken ribs, a sprained ankle, and numerous lacerations."

_'Damn him!'_ Lightning cursed Caius. The battle before Noel appeared had taken more out of her than she had thought. Physical pain in Valhalla was minimum. Her foot brushed the floor. Experimentally, she pushed her foot down. A sharp stab of pain rocketed through her leg. She clenched her teeth together tightly. _'I had forgotten how badly my body hurt after battle…'_ She thought. Lightning glanced at the man that still had his gentle, calloused hands on her shoulders. She could feel the smooth metal of his ring against her bare shoulder. His blue eyes implored her to lie back down before she injured herself further. _'Given the state of me, I have no other option…'_ she thought as she tucked her feet back underneath the warm cover.

"Where am I?" she asked. Noel backed away from her. He leaned against the opposite wall. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"My hut," he answered. "I found you in a crater. Care to explain?" He asked with a tilt of his head. His bangs flicked over his eyes. The blue of them seemed to become more startling in his curiosity. Lightning couldn't stop the smirk that ticked onto her lips.

"I don't think you would believe me," she told him. _'You would not remember anyway,'_ she added. _'Assuming that all of this has already happened…' _He raised his eyebrows at that.

"Try me." So, she did. After a moment, he moved. He didn't leave like she thought he would; instead, he shifted onto his left leg, folded his right arm over his chest, and touched his hand to his chin. Clearly, he was thinking. It was oddly attractive, Lightning decided. Before-when she met him in Valhalla, she hadn't studied him closer than the glance it took to make sure he was alright and listening to her. When she had first seen his tiny form (tiny in relevance only to Serah's first choice of protector-Snow), she had doubted him capable of the job. It was only the hope and strength she saw in his blue eyes that made her want to give him the chance to prove her wrong. Those same blue eyes were now regarding her silently. He removed his hand from underneath his jaw. "I believe you." He said finally. Lightning blinked. He read the questions in her green eyes easily. A small smirk twitched onto his lips. "You fell out of the sky," he pointed out. "You looked like some sort of fairy tale goddess with all of that feather decorated armor. We certainly don't wear that here…" She raised an eyebrow at the description of her. Caius Ballad frequently called her the same thing during their battles, but with Caius it was mainly in mocking. Noel sounded completely in awe of her. It threatened to cause her to blush like the school girl she no longer was. "It's really not all that hard to believe." Noel watched her eyes dip closed for a moment. "Sleep," he told her gently, "there's no real danger here." The end of his sentence hung heavily in the air: _'not anymore.'_

_'No,' _Lightning thought as she curled underneath Noel's fur blankets, _'it's just been unleashed upon the past and Valhalla…' _Her worry for the Goddess Etro returned full force and lured her away from the hands of sleep. _'I'll only stay until I recover…'_


	2. Challenge

**Try Me**

**2. Challenge**

**Chapter Summary: **The second time he says it, it's in challenge; and it fires her blood like never before. That something that had started back in his home was now growing and Lightning doesn't know how to feel about that.

* * *

Noel sat on the patio next to Serah. He could see her tense worried expression from the corner of his eye. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest as they often did. Her blue eyes were wide in fear for her fiancé, but they couldn't help but dart between the two fighters.

"You do realize they are sparring right? Not serious," Noel pointed out with a small wave of his hand toward the two. Serah glanced over at him and bit into her lip. The ground shook as Snow's body hit the hard ground. He rolled out of the way as Lightning's foot came down just a few inches from where his head had been.

"I know that!" Serah partly whined. "It's just…you don't know them! It can turn serious in like a second!" Noel glanced back at the sparring duo. Like her namesake, Lightning struck fast and strong. The large, slow Snow was having trouble keeping up. Whereas Snow relied on his strength, Lightning relied on her quickness. Snow punched out at her. With a quick, agile twist of her body, she trapped Snow's wrist in her hand. A sharp jerk sent him over her shoulder and onto the hard ground again.

"Alright…alright…I give up," Snow groaned from his position on the ground. Lightning smirked and backed up off of him. Noel found himself endeared by the small quirking of her mouth. Snow sat up and rubbed the side of his head. "Don't even know why I volunteered for that anyway…"

"Oh come on now, Snow, I'm just getting warmed up!" Lightning taunted. Snow groaned.

"No," he muttered. "My pride has taken enough of a beating for one day."

"I'll volunteer…" The words were slipped out of his mouth. Three sets of eyes turned to him. Snow smirked happily.

"Yeah! Let him! I wanna see pretty boy get his ass kicked for once!" Snow said as he let Serah pull him to his feet. Noel glared at him. Snow grinned. "I mean say it with fondness." Noel snorted and shook his head. Serah glanced worried over at him.

"Are you sure you wanna…I mean do you know what you're getting into?" Serah questioned him. He met Lightning's green eyes over Serah's shoulder. She returned his gaze unflinchingly. The smirk that had been on her face had turned into a small amused smile.

"I think I can handle it," Noel returned. His eyes stayed on hers. Snow's grin widened.

"Oh I can't wait to see this!" He exclaimed, punching the air. He winced in that next second because it had pulled at the sore skin of his back.

"Snow!" Serah scolded halfheartedly. In truth, she too had wanted to see a fight between her sister and Noel for a very long time. During their journey to find Lightning, Serah had laid awake at night and wondered just what it would be like for the two of them. They were both fiercely competitive people. Now, she was finally getting the chance to see it.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're pretty," Lightning teased him as he came to stand in front of her. Noel smirked and relaxed his arms out to his sides.

"Neither will I," he returned. Lightning froze slightly at the compliment. Her green eyes widened slightly. From over Noel's shoulder, she caught the slack jawed expression on Snow's face and the pleasantly surprised one on Serah's.

"You sure you don't want to back out now?" Lightning offered one last time just to rile him.

"Try me," he whispered. The words tasted familiar in mouth. It was almost as if he had said them to her before. Snow and Serah didn't catch it, but Lightning did. A smile spread over her lips at the familiar two word demand. No other words were spoken. They lunged at one another. He caught her fist before it could make impact. She pulled her fist free and dodged his feet as he attempted to sweep hers out from underneath her. She spun around and threw her elbow back toward his face. Once more, he stopped it with a simple brush of his hand. She didn't waste any time moving away from him as his foot rose in a perfect kick.

Snow and Serah sat on the patio watching the two of them go. Snow's mouth was open in shock as his eyes darted around in the attempt to keep up with their hands and feet. Serah wasn't as surprised as her fiancé. She knew what Noel was capable of; he had after all been her protector on the journey to bring Lightning home. She knew just how fast, how good he was. Still, it was amusing to watch Snow's eyes widen in awe as Noel landed a kick on Lightning. She hissed and jerked away from him. The fire in her eyes burned all the brighter. He smirked at her; his entire expression was smug. His blue eyes were filled with satisfaction. Lightning itched to wipe them both away. Without any warning, Lightning darted forward and faked a kick at his left side. He stepped to the right and found his feet sweep out from underneath him by the beautiful woman. His breath left him in a quick whoosh as his back met the ground. He was on his feet before her leg could fully come down, but unlike Snow he hadn't rolled. He caught her thigh in his right hand and trapped it against his hip before her foot could cause a lot of pain to his stomach. The skin on skin contact caused her to forget all other course of action for a moment. His hand was warm and calloused against her thigh. The cold feel of his ring and the rough feel of his leather wrap warred against her senses. His belts pressed against the skin of her leg.

"That was dirty," he scolded her playfully. She couldn't smirk like she usually would. She couldn't even respond. His touch had paralyzed her. Her_ shock_ had paralyzed her. Men rarely ever touched her. They were terrified of dying a long and brutal death, but here was Noel…holding her thigh against his hip like it was the most natural thing in the world. With a sharp push upward of the hand that lay underneath her thigh and a clever slip of the foot behind her only grounded one, Lightning lost her footing and found herself on the ground.

"_That_ was dirty," Lightning mocked him as she sat up. Irritation shined in her green eyes. Not only was she irritated that she had let him get the best of her, but she also annoyed at her body's reaction to it. Noel simply shrugged in response. A smirk already tugging back onto his lips. He held his hand down to her to help her up. The previous rules established were that the spar didn't end until Lightning hit the ground.

"No," Snow whispered to his fiancé, "that was kind of hot…" Serah found herself nodding before she could even stop it. Noel turned his head to the two on the steps of the patio and quirked an eyebrow just as Lightning placed her hand in his. Apparently, Snow had not whispered as low as he had thought. Instead of giving Snow's comment any further attention, Noel wrapped his hand around Lightning's smaller one and pulled her to her feet.

"That's ten bucks, Snow," Lightning said as she walked toward them. Snow blinked. While Snow's attention was focused on the money he would be losing, Serah's were focused on Noel. She could have just been imagining it, but it had looked as though their hands had lingered in one another's for a minute longer than necessary.

"What for?!" He exclaimed. Noel moved his hand into his pocket. Serah's eyes flicked up to his face to see him staring at her with a quirked eyebrow. He did look curious, but there was worry in his eyes as well. Noel had never forgotten her lies about the visions; and he didn't fully believe that they could just stop when the seeress was no longer needed by her guardian.

_"I'm okay…"_ she mouthed. _"Just zoned out for a little while."_ He nodded. She felt slightly guilty when that look in his blue eyes came back. The one that said he was thinking of her: Yeul.

"Well," Serah was pulled away from her guilt and Noel from his thoughts of Yeul as Lightning began to speak, "you bet five a few weeks ago that Noel couldn't stand a chance against me; then just then you got a show," Lightning said.

"How come Serah doesn't have to pay up?" Snow grumbled. Serah glared at her future husband. Lightning rolled her eyes, but Noel—he was lost in thought.


	3. Comfort

**Try Me**

**Comfort**

**Chapter Summary: **Lightning had been there for him during his time of need. Now it was his turn to return her the favor.

**A/N: **I would like to thank all of those who favorite or follow this story. I also thank Deviling and piromanija for their reviews.

* * *

Lightning walked down the stair well of the home they all shared. After so many years away from one another, Serah was reluctant to part from Snow, Lightning, and even Noel. She wanted them close to her. There was a reason she was fleeing from her room tonight. Serah wanted Snow _especially _close to her. The sounds coming from inside that room were enough to make Lightning want to kill Snow. So, to avoid that, she fled to the safest room in the house: the patio. It over looked the beautiful night sky. Serah had talked Snow into installing a hammock instead of purchasing a bench. At night, it was amazing, but during the day-it hurt. Lightning was at the screen door when she realized that she was not the only one wanting to escape tonight. Noel lay in the white hammock. His strong arms were crossed behind his head. One leg was draped over the hammock at the knee and the other was bent at the knee in the middle to keep him balanced. His weapons, Lightning noticed with approval, weren't very far from him. At hearing the screen door slide open, Noel popped one blue eye open. Lightning nodded toward him and came further out onto the patio.

'_I'd missed this…in Valhalla.'_ Lightning thought to herself as she stared up at the night sky above her. Her one true love in school had been astronomy. She had amused Serah for hours telling her the stories of all the constellations. _'I wonder if she still remembers…'_ At the thought of remembering, her eyes wandered back to Noel. His blue eyes were still locked on the night sky, but there was a haze over them as if he were lost in memories. His lips were set in a small frown. He looked so dejected and sad.

"Something the matter?" Lightning didn't understand what possessed her to ask. Maybe it was seeing him like that reminded her of a little of Hope right before he cried. Noel glanced over at her now.

"It's nothing," he stated. Lightning stayed silent. Her experience with men—mainly Snow and Hope—convinced her that he would come to her in time. So, she turned her eyes back to the stars. "My feelings for Yeul are fading…" Lightning knew better than to say anything. Any other man that would have made feel better, but Noel-she realized-was different. His love for Yeul was the dedicated kind. So the idea that those feelings were fading disturbed him greatly. Lightning had decided a long time ago in Valhalla that Yeul was an idiot.

'_It's probably healthier for him to have his feelings fade than to fight to hold onto it. Yeul, from what I gathered, is never the same girl in personality. She knows of Noel, but whatever they once had is gone.'_ A sharp stab of sympathy washed through her. _'Each time they met, he would have to face the reality that his Yeul was gone.' _

Instead of speaking words of comfort as Serah would have done, Lightning did something that surprised him. She avoided the topic of his fading feelings. She gave him something else to think about.

"Did you ever have an astronomy class back in your time?" She asked.

"No," Noel returned. "Hadn't needed it." From that point on, the night consisted of Lightning pointing out constellations to him. Noel would tilt his head at every angle in the attempt to see it, but he failed.

"Well, what do you see?" Lightning made the mistake of asking once. The lesson then turned into a contest of who could make the other laugh the hardest. By the time morning came, Noel had forgotten all about his worries of Yeul.

Serah and Snow found their friends asleep outside in the hammock. Their backs were pressed against one another. Both sets of legs were stretched out in front their bodies to keep the hammock steady. Lightning's head was dipped back onto Noel's shoulder. His head was resting against the side of her head gently.

Serah glanced at her future husband and smiled. She held her delicate hand up to her lips and motioned for him to be quiet. He nodded and followed her out into the house.

"That was sooo cute!" Serah cooed once they were inside. Snow didn't really know what to think. Both of his friends had been alone for so long. It would be good for them to have someone, but he just really couldn't think of Lightning as a loving partner. Hell, he had a hard time thinking of her as a woman sometimes. He was fairly certain Noel needed both.

* * *

_A Week Later…_

* * *

The summer night was hotter than most before it, but the temperature did not bother Lightning. In fact, despite the heavy heat, she was shivering. She pulled her legs tight against her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. She willed herself not to cry even a little bit.

"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself the same thing she told Serah over and over again after a nightmare.

In the hallway, Noel stopped. The whisper reached his ears just as easily as the breeze that was coming in from the window brushed over him.

"Lightning?" He called softly through the doorway. "You okay?" he asked as he pushed the door open the rest of the way. Lightning's head snapped up. Noel looked at her. His blue eyes held a large amount of concern. She allowed it to warm her.

"Noel? Why are you awake?" She asked. The sun wasn't even out yet. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside her. It read 3 a.m. She blinked and looked back toward the young man. He held up a glass of tea as if in explanation. "Ah…" She muttered.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked as he hovered at her doorway. Lightning studied him for a moment. He had confessed what was bothering him; it was only fair that she do the same.

_'It'll probably help if you get it off your chest…'_ Her thoughts sounded suspiciously like Serah at that moment. It was something her sister had said to her many times over the years. She hated it when Lightning kept it all in. So, with that thought in mind, Lightning waved Noel in. She kept her eyes on him as he sank down onto the end of her queen sized bed. _'My sister is slowly making me a people person…' _Lightning realized with only a little distain. _'First I'm all affectionate toward Hope, friendly with Fang, give Snow my blessing…now I'm inviting Noel into my room to talk about my nightmares…what's next?'_

Noel waited patiently for Lightning to be ready to talk. He scanned her room in the meantime. The colors had surprised him slightly. They were warm and comforting to him. They reminded him vaguely of home. The walls were a charming brown. It wasn't too dark nor too light. He could see mixes of red and yellow inside the paint. Her floors were hardwood, but she had the fur of a light coated bear underneath her bed. The cream colored bed cover was tangled around her legs. She pulled a hand through her long pink hair and sighed.

"I dreamt of Valhalla…and Caius," She told him. Noel's entire body tensed; he glanced over at her. His blue eyes were dampened by dulled pain. "The entire time I was in Valhalla it was spend mostly fighting him…"

"_Lightning's been gone for three years!"_ Noel recalled the man, Gadot, saying.

"You fought Caius for three years…without pause…didn't you?" Noel asked quietly. Lightning nodded.

"In Valhalla, you can't die, can't feel pain…but your body remembers..." Noel's eyes widened at the revelation. "…Vaguely what all of it feels like. So, it's not really a nightmare...but a memory." She didn't have to finish; he had gathered enough from her whispers as to of what she was dreaming. He reached over and breeched boundaries again. Noel wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer into his side. Lightning's eyes widened in shock at the motion.

"How long have you been having these dreams?" Noel asked. His tone was gentle and curious. Lightning fell silent for a moment, debating on whether or not to answer the question. Then she was reminded: he had been honest with her that night. He had never lied to her or tried to skim around the truth. He deserved the same treatment.

"Ever since I returned…" She whispered. Noel's body tensed slightly. That had been three months ago. One minute she wasn't there and Serah was crying. A solemn Snow had been attempting to steer Serah into one of the bedroom to lie down before she made herself sick. The three were in for a major surprise. Lightning had been lying in her bed as if she had always been there.

"_Lightning!"_ Serah had squealed. Lightning had shot up from the bed. Her green eyes widened as they landed on her younger sister; then Noel had been greeted by one of the prettiest sights. Lightning had smiled widely. Serah had launched herself into her sister's arms. Snow soon followed. The larger blonde had lifted both girls up off of the bed. Noel backed out the room as he had felt very much like an intruder on the reunion. Still, he had hovered in the hallway with a small smile on his lips. Lightning had found him later.

"_Thank you,"_ she had whispered to him as she jerked him into a quick hug. His eyes had widened. He had fought with the thought of whether to hug her back or not. His arms mimicked that thought reaching for her, but not quiet touching her.

"_No problem,"_ he had answered. He had jerked his arms back to his side when she had let him go. He had scratched his head as he said, _"I'm glad you're okay…"_

"You are the strongest woman I know," Noel praised her gently, "but you don't always have to be. There's no shame in admitting you're afraid…we can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on in that beautiful head of yours." Lightning nodded against his shoulder. She was still too overcome to speak. Noel was telling her what Serah and Snow had told her before, but it was the way he was saying it that made her tongue experience paralysis. She wasn't fighting now. She wasn't commanding a frightened group of people. She was simply fighting a nightmare. There was nothing admirable about that, but Noel made it sound as though it was the greatest achievement she had made.

Noel saw it different however. He saw the woman that had been thrown into the role of Etro's guardian so soon after losing two of her closest friends. She hadn't had a chance or the time to grieve for them. She had been taken away from her sister so soon after being reunited. In his eyes it wasn't her achievements on the field that were testament to her strength; it was her ability to carry on. So many people, himself included, got trapped in the past. They wanted to stay inside those happier memories so that they didn't have to face reality. Lightning was a woman that forced herself too because she knew that the world would continue to turn on no matter her problems. Time didn't stop just because one wanted it too. Yeul had taught him that lesson, but he was still struggling to get to the point of letting go.

"I don't know how to word it…" She whispered. It took Noel a moment to realize what she was talking about then it clicked.

"Try me," he urged softly. A small smile tugged at her lips. Noel grinned slightly. So, like she had before in his hut, she did. She tried her hand at explaining how the fight had went on for three years without end, how Caius had injured her so many times. She told him of all the times Caius had nearly succeeded in killing her. In front of him, she relived the memories. He stayed by her side the entire time like an anchor. "You aren't there anymore," he told her softly once she had finished. He slipped a hand underneath her chin and tilted her head so that she could see the promise in his eyes. "And, if I have anything to say about it, you'll never have to go there again." His gentle words broke the dam of emotion that she had been holding back ever since her return. Tears started to leak from her eyes before she could stop them. Noel didn't say a word as she buried her face into his shoulder. He simply held her tighter.

Lightning curled her fingers into the back of his shirt as she attempted to beat back the tears, but the more she tried the more she recalled his sweet words and the nightmares.

'_Yeul was a complete dumb ass for leaving you…'_ Lightning thought to him. From what she had seen when she was in Valhalla, Caius would have listened to whatever Yeul had to say. Whatever Yeul wanted, he would have done. Yeul, whether she believed it or not, had a choice. Hell, the teen could see the future! She knew how Caius' dream would turn out! Lightning tightened her hands around his shirt.

"You're gonna be okay," he whispered to her after about thirty minutes of listening to her cry. It hurt him to hear her cry, but it would bother him even more to leave her in this state. Not for the first time since meeting Caius, he cursed him.

"Noel…" Lightning whispered as her tears finally showed signs of drying up.

"Yeah?" He whispered back in the same low tone.

"Just shut up," Lightning demanded. "_Before you make me start crying again…" _hung in the silence that fell over them. Lightning knew she could back off of him, but she didn't want him to see her tears. She had only cried in front of two other people as hard as she had now. Those two people had been Serah and Snow. Serah had been the only one she had faced; she had hidden behind Snow's back. Her pride demanded that she not let Noel see her tear streaked face. It was bad enough that she had used his shirt as a tissue. After a few minutes of her leaning against his shoulder, Lightning pulled away. Noel looked over at her. His blue eyes were filled with sympathy and affection for her. Lightning couldn't help the small blush that touched her cheeks though she hated it.

"Thanks…" She whispered.

"That's what friends are for, right?" He returned easily. Lightning smiled.

"Right…" She confirmed quietly. Noel smiled and stood from her bed with a long stretch. Lightning couldn't help it. Her eyes roamed him. She could see the muscles in his arms rolling as he stretched them high above his head. He tilted his neck back and arched his back slightly. Her eyes roamed down his chest. She forced her eyes back up to his face as his body began to relax. _'Friends…' _She reminded herself as he lowered his arms back to sides. _'I don't think I should be this attracted to a friend. Seems unhealthy. Besides…it's only because it's been a while…' _She tried to tell herself that Snow would probably look sexy to her in a few days, but the very idea of him grossed her out.

"Well, I'm going to go try and get some sleep before the bunnies wake up," Noel said. Lightning snorted at the reference to her sister and Snow. It wasn't very far off in description.

"You're lucky," Lightning commented. "You don't have a room next to theirs." Noel attempted to hiss sympathetically, but it just sounded like he was trying not to laugh at her.

"I would offer you my room, but I kind of like it," he told her. "It's got a nice view."

"Keep on. I'll just kick you out of it and take it anyway," Lightning returned. "Then you can deal with listening to dying cows."

"You could try," Noel said. He shrugged. "I have no desire to listen to…how did you describe them…dying cows? Actually that description makes me only want to fight harder to keep my room…" A female moan escaped through the wall. Noel's blue eyes widened and snapped toward her. Lightning paled.

"Compromise?" She suggested hurriedly. Noel only stared at her. The teasing situation from earlier now very real. She refused to listen to them for another morning. "I won't steal the covers or anything!" Noel's lips moved but no sound escaped. Just when Lightning was thinking of leaving him there, there came another sound through the wall.

"_Oh, God! Snow!"_ Serah's louder moan seemed to spur Noel into action. Lightning let out a small surprised noise as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her from the bed.

"Come on!" He demanded as he pulled her out of the room quickly. Lightning stared to jog to keep up with him. Noel opened his door and practically pushed her inside. Lightning let out a quiet sigh of relief that Noel echoed. The noises were muffled by the layers and layers of walls between the two rooms. Lightning turned around and glanced at Noel who was leaning against his bedroom door. Their eyes met. Instantly, they dissolved into laughter. Once they had calmed down enough to speak, Noel wheezed, "I was serious about the sleep thing though." He said as he moved toward the bed. Lightning decided that she didn't want to watch him climb into it much less shed any clothes. Through a rather unpleasant experience, Lightning had discovered Snow slept in the nude. She really didn't want to know if Noel did as well. _'Liar…'_ Her thoughts whispered. She ignored them. This was not happening. "Lightning?" He called. "I don't bite, you know." Lightning tensed. "Just as long as you promise not to steal the covers," he teased. Lightning nodded.

'_I'm tired. He's not going to do anything. He's still caught up on Yeul's memory.'_ She thought herself as she slipped underneath the covers next to him. His warm thigh brushed hers as she laid down on her back. _'Oh! Thank God! He's still wearing pants!'_ Rose into her mind. She chuckled and shook her head.

"What?" He asked. Lightning glanced over at him. Her breath nearly froze in her lungs. He was lying on his side with one hand tucked underneath his pillow. His dark brown bangs fell over his right eye. She was close enough to him to see all of the different shades of blue his eyes held. She got distracted for a moment. It looked as though the light blue slivers were wrapping around darker blue as they crept closer to his iris.

'_Beautiful…'_ She couldn't help but think. His blink brought her back to the matter at hand. She couldn't very well tell him that she had been relieved that he wasn't naked, so she opted for another amusing thought she briefly entertained as he was pulling her down the hallway.

"Well, that day on the patio Snow and Serah found us," Lightning reminded him, "I just can't help but wonder what they would assume if they found us this time." Noel chuckled.

"I imagine the sexual innuendo would drive you to murdering Snow," he commented. Lightning hummed.

"Sexual innuendo is unneeded. Snow makes me want to kill him all on his own," Lightning muttered as she turned her eyes to the ceiling. Noel hummed his agreement. The past nights of little sleep were wearing down on him. His blue eyes dipped closed. Beside him, Lighting's own eyes were drooping. In minutes, both were asleep.

"Snow?" Serah called as she walked into the kitchen. Snow turned from the refrigerator quickly. He hid the orange juice carton he had been drinking out of behind his back. Serah hated it when he didn't use a glass. He slid it back into the fridge with his fingertips and closed the door quietly. All thought of looking innocent fled as he took in the slightly panicked look on her face. "I can't find Lightning anywhere. I went into her room to wake her up and she's not there."

"Did you check the patio?" He asked calmly. Serah's worst nightmare was waking up and realizing that the past few months had been a lie. Snow dealt with her panic each time Lightning wasn't in her bedroom when Serah peaked in on her. It didn't happen often, but when it did he always had this irrational anger toward his future sister-in-law. Serah nodded. "How about the-" His words froze in his throat as another thought occurred to him. Noel and Lightning had been spending an unusual amount of time together the past few days. Just yesterday, they had been sneaking glances at one another across the room when they thought the other wasn't looking. It was adorable, but at the same time aggravating when you are attempting to hold a conversation with one of them. "Did you check Noel's room?" He couldn't help but grin as he finished the sentence. Serah blinked then it clicked. She rolled her eyes heavenward.

"Noel's room? Why on earth would she-Oh come on, Snow, seriously! You can't possibly think-" Snow cut Serah off.

"That is exactly what I think. Come on, Serah," he took his fiancé's hand had pulled her up the stairs. "It can't be that foreign of an idea to you."

"Well no, but…Noel still loves Yeul…and Lightning is well _Lightning._" Serah said as they crept their way toward Noel's room. Snow gave a small snort. He couldn't help but agree. Lightning had sworn off all types of romance. She dissuaded men from even talking to her with a sharp glare. Snow had honestly begun to consider introducing her to some of his female friends, but he was afraid of the pain he would experience once Lightning figured out what he was insinuating.

Snow pushed the slightly jarred door open when one fingertip. His eyes widened. Serah clapped a hand over her mouth to smother her shock. Just on the bed lay Noel and Lightning. Noel was wrapped around Lightning's body. His arm lay on top of the cover with his hand rested just on top of Lightning's stomach. What surprised her most was Lightning looked peaceful. Serah had peaked in on Lightning many times since she returned. Each time her sister looked frightened or agitated.

"When do you think they were planning on telling us about this?" Snow whispered as they walked back out of the room.

"Honestly, Snow, they were just sleeping!"

"So were we earlier this morning," Snow returned without missing a beat.

* * *

Lightning's eye twitched slightly as Snow's eyes wandered to her for what seemed like the fiftieth time. It became apparent to her that they had found Noel and her this morning. If Snow wasn't obvious enough, Serah's constant blushing and eye avoidance was.

"Guys, nothing happened," Noel said from his position on the bar stool. Lightning glanced over at him. One elbow rested on the countertop and he had that closed fist underneath his chin. One blue eyes was staring at Snow and Serah because his bangs had fallen over the other one. Lightning felt her irritation swell as she thought of pushing it away. "So…stop acting all weird." She looked away from him. The moment she looked in front of her, she met Serah's blue eyes.

"What _were _you doing in Noel's room anyway, Lightning?" Serah asked as she linked her hands behind her back. Lightning blinked. The slight teasing in her sister's tone told her that she had seen the much too long look she had given Noel. Lightning suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"I went looking for a night of wild sex," Lightning deadpanned. Snow sprayed his tea all over the kitchen floor. He promptly began to cough violently. A small thud told her that Noel had dropped his hand to the counter top. She could feel his blue eyes staring at her for a moment. "But he wanted to _cuddle_," Lightning continued. Her lips ticked up into a smirk that gave her away. Serah sighed in exasperation while Noel laughed.

"Lightning, I'm being serious!" Serah protested. Lightning knew she was. She could see the concern in her sister's eyes, but she just wasn't ready to share her nightmares with Serah yet. She didn't want to make her sister feel guilty for having her nights…_filled._ So, Lightning quirked her eyebrows and continued to tease Snow and Serah.

"And I'm not?" Lightning shot a quick glance to Noel who was watching her with an amused smile on his lips. "How do you know I didn't want Noel's _hot, hot body_?" Snow snorted. Noel chuckled and shifted to face Lightning. An amused smile jumped onto her lips as Noel wiggled his eyebrows at her. She winked slowly in response. He snorted.

"Fine!" Serah groaned as she threw her hands up. Serah stepped closer to her sister so that what she had to say would only be heard by her sister. "But you will tell me eventually, right?" She whispered. Lightning nodded sharply.

"Promise."


	4. Tender Care

**Try Me**

**4. Tender Care**

**Summary: **Noel is left to take care of Lightning after a failed date. Once more that little phrase that is becoming so common between them is slipped in. Lightning realizes something that upsets her world as she knows it.

**A/N:** I would like to thank promanija, GUREN, Guest that loves the sexual tension between Noel and Lightning, and beren for their reviews.

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((This chapter takes place about a week from Comfort.))

* * *

Noel could instantly tell that Lightning was having a bad night. The punching bag in front of her was suffering her upset. As he leaned against the wall, he watching the bag jerk and swing back as if reluctant. He shook his head.

Serah had convinced Lightning to go on a date with some man that had worked alongside her at the school. She had only just gotten back hours ago, but Noel could tell it had went badly when she stormed past Serah.

_"Don't!"_ Lightning had snapped when Serah opened her mouth to ask how the date went. Noel had moved to follow her when Serah turned her sad blue eyes toward him. He knew what she was asking. She wanted him to go to her and try to calm her down. Just because Lightning and he were getting closer, Serah and Snow seemed to think he could fix everything when Serah couldn't. It was awkward. What made them think that Lightning would open up to him? The answer came just as he finished the thought.

"_Thank you,"_ Serah had whispered after a random hug she had given him. Noel had looked at her strangely as she pulled back. _"Lightning told me about you being there for her the other night."_ She explained. _"You managed to get her to talk about her nightmares."_ Serah had raised a fist to her chest and looked at the floor. _"I knew she was having nightmares for a while now, but she would never confide in me when I asked…"_

Noel had just placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly. When she turned her blue eyes up to him, he had simply smiled and told her, _"I was just in the right place at the right time. It could have been Snow or you. I'm sure she would have acted the same." _

Noel scratched his head as he watched Lightning wreak havoc on the defenseless bag with poorly wrapped hands. He supposed he should stop her before she bruised her hands to the point of uselessness.

"Bad night?" He spoke up as he pushed away from the archway of the training room and walked toward her. Lightning stepped back and looked over at him. Her green eyes burned with such fire that he was certain she would burn him alive if he came any closer; but Noel didn't back down. He was never afraid of being burned. The chain that held the bag up creaked as it swung back and forth like a large cylinder pendulum. It was the only sound in the silence. Startling blue stared easily into burning green eyes. The fire in her eyes seemed to only highlight the blue that was mixed in among the green. Lightning shook her head and pressed her hand to her forehead.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lightning told him as she lowered her hand. The sweat from her hands made the burst open skin on her knuckles burn and throb. Quickly, like removing a band aid, she unwrapped her hands. She hissed slightly as skin came off with it. Blood coated the once white bandage. Noel grabbed the water that Lightning had lay off to the side. Lightning glanced up as he uncapped the water. "What are you doing?" She asked as he gently took one of her hands in his. He poured the cool water over her bloodied hand. She suppressed the urge to jerk it back at the stinging. Noel waited until both of her hands were clean of blood before he questioned her.

"What went wrong?" He asked as he reached from the first aid kit. Lightning's tongue had been loosened by the care he had shown her. Her shock had made her lips move before she could process it.

"Everything," Lightning stated as he gently dapped at each of her knuckles with a cotton ball covered in hydrogen peroxide. She watched as the wounds began to bubble. She wasn't fascinated by the bubbling of her wounds; it was Noel's care that was fascinating her. He let go of her left hand to reach into the first aid kit for some bandages.

"I think that punching bag over there needs a little more information before it can forgive you," Noel told her with a slight smile. Lightning found a smile ticking onto her lips.

"The punching bag's feelings aside, I don't think it would interest you," Lightning told him as her focus returned to her hands. He was gently twining the bandage loosely over her hand.

"Try me," Noel said as he tilted his head to capture her eyes in his. Lightning chuckled.

"Alright. First, he was an hour late to the date he had arranged." Noel flinched slightly. "After he arrived, he spent the entire night flirting with our waitress. Then, he invited me back to his place because _he didn't want the night to end_."

"How bad is he going to look tomorrow when Serah goes to work?" Noel asked. Lightning smirked.

"I only hit him once," Lightning deadpanned.

"Really?" The surprise in his tone made her roll her eyes. She had only hit Snow two times but the group refused to let her live it down.

"I've calmed down a lot since Snow, you know," Lightning told him.

"The punching bag says otherwise," Noel said as he jerked his thumb toward the now gently swinging punching bag.

"It's an inanimate object, Noel. It doesn't know anything."

"Hey! It can hear you!"

"You're such a dork," Lightning snorted as she shook her head. Noel grinned as he watched her walk away.

"Yeah, but it made you feel better," he muttered quietly as he put away the things from the first aid kit.

Later on that night, Lightning lay in her bed. She raised one of her bandaged hands up toward the ceiling. The memory of Noel's calloused hands gently wrapping the white bandage around her knuckles rose into her mind. Heat threatened to rise onto her face. She wasn't used to being cared for. She wasn't used to anyone being so gentle with her.

"Stop it!" Lightning scolded herself as she rolled over onto her side. "Just fucking stop." She didn't need this! She didn't need to feel this way. Sexual tension she could deal with, but this warm feeling that made her heart race could go rot in the fiery pits of hell. She punched her pillow twice before laying her head down onto it again.

_ "You are the strongest woman I know." _

_ "If I have anything to say about it, you'll never have to go there again."_

"Motherfucker!"


	5. Avoidance

**Try Me**

**5. Avoidance**

**Summary: **After her annoying discovery of more-than-friendly feelings for Noel, Lightning begins to avoid him. Noel puts up with this for only a week.

**A/N: **I would like to thank Blitz-Queen of Sorrow, bish dish, GUREN (what does hikki bagibbi mean? All you readers should thank GUREN for my getting this chapter out so quickly. He or she reviews as a guest so I have no way of getting in touch in with him or her as I have most of the other reviewers. My curiousty drove me insane.) and PandaInABox for reviewing.

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Lightning attempted to ignore the feel of Noel's eyes on her as she waited for Serah. _'Please don't approach me; please don't approach me.'_ She thought as her sister finally appeared at the stairwell. In her wish to avoid Noel, Lightning had agreed to go wedding dress shopping with her sister. The very person she was trying to avoid was sitting only feet away from her next to Snow. Noel Kreiss. Her sister's and her own best friend. She avoided his eyes to the best of her ability as Serah turned to Snow and Noel.

"Please don't kill each other…" Serah asked of them. Snow snorted and nodded. Noel simply raised an eyebrow. Lightning's lips twitched at their typical reactions. Noel caught her staring at him. His blue eyes fixed on her green. She looked away quickly.

"Ready?" She asked her sister. Serah nodded and followed her rushing sister out the front door.

"She's always been really secretive, but I've never known her to avoid anyone. It must be pretty serious for her."

"Yeah, but…I don't get it. She was fine with me last week."

"Did you do anything that may have unnerved her?" Snow asked. Noel crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the left. Snow let the young man think.

"The only thing I did out of the ordinary was bandage her hands…" He said. Snow blinked. For a moment, he was just as confused as Noel sounded and then it clicked.

"Serah once told me that Lightning was always taking care of her when they were children…but no one was there for her. I bet…she's not used to being taken care of." Snow's voice fell low. "She's not used to being cared for…" Both men fell silent. Snow shook his head roughly. "Hell! I bet she shut out anyone that tried!" Snow looked up at Noel. His crystal blue eyes were serious and determined. "Let's not let her shut us out anymore, yeah?" Noel nodded.

"Yeah." He said softly.

"What are the two of you sitting here looking so solemn about?" Serah's voice drifted from the front door. Snow twisted at the waist to look for his fiancée. Noel simply turned his head to try and find his best friend. Serah walked past the archway that separated the front door from the living room. "I forgot something." Serah informed them.

"Wha-" Snow started. Serah cut him off by leaning in and pecking him on the lips gently.

"Ah…" Noel mumbled as he quickly looked away. Serah was his best friend. Snow was his friend. But their intimacy was not something he wanted to see. It reminded him to much of what he used to share with Yeul. He paused. The pain that usually accompanied the memory of her wasn't there anymore. It was a dull sting. He pressed a hand to his chest. Was he really falling out of love with the woman he had sworn to love forever?

"Were you able to get anything out of her?" Snow asked once she pulled away from him. Serah shook her head.

"I asked, but she just told it was nothing." Serah turned to her best friend who still sat on the couch. She frowned softly as she saw that he was staring at the television with a slightly disheartened expression. "Have you tried talking to her, Noel?" Noel shook himself out of his thoughts of Yeul and fading feelings.

"Sure, I've tried loads of times. The minute she sees me coming, she vanishes," Noel told them. He didn't like not knowing what he had done wrong. Lightning seemed against him setting it right as well. She ducked into rooms each time she saw him coming, acted like she had things to do outside the house, or just monopolized Serah's or Snow's time to keep from talking to him. It bothered him. He felt like he was going to explode any minute.

"I'll try harder," Serah promised. She turned toward Noel. "You do the same, okay? Don't give up on her just yet." Noel shook his head.

_'Never,'_ he promised in his thoughts. The gravity and intensity of his inner voice took him by surprise_. 'When did she become so important to me?'_ He questioned himself. _'When did her silence begin to hurt me?' _All of these were questions he really didn't have the answer too. They also lead to more questions. He shook his head.

_"In Valhalla, your sister gave me a chance. She gave me hope."_ Was it then that she became so important to him? She believed in him when no one else did. She opened up a doorway for a new world. He felt grateful to her in that moment. When Caius had shown up, he had felt protective and reluctant to leave her to face him on her own.

_"She looked like a goddess out of some fairytale…"_ The words had felt just as familiar as she did. It had bothered him that he couldn't place where he had met her or even how. He still couldn't place it even now.

"Noel?" Snow called out again. The young man had disappeared somewhere in his mind after Serah had left. The emotions that had flickered through his eyes were enough to make Snow dizzy. "Noel!" He tried again. Noel finally blinked and shook himself out of his thoughts. "Where'd you go, man?" Noel just gave him a slight smile.

"Got lost down memory lane," he shrugged.

"Well, stay in the present. I've got an important question to ask you." Noel raised his eyebrows. "Will you be my best man at the wedding?"

"I'd be honored."

* * *

_A Few Hours Later..._

* * *

Lightning slipped into another room of the house at the first sign of Noel's blue pant leg. She had been doing this for a week. She curled her hand into a fist on the door. _'What the fuck is happening to me? I'm behaving like a damn coward! Or worse…a school girl with a crush!'_ And that was the problem. She had a crush on Noel Kreiss. She could feel it. Those fucking warm fuzzy feelings were the beginnings of emotions she did not need to feel.

To make matters worse, he had noticed what she was doing. Now, it seemed as though he was deliberately seeking her out. True to his nature as a hunter, he was persistent with her. If he caught sight of her, he would follow her. He had almost backed her in a corner the other day, but Snow had bumped into him accidently. She had escaped and cursed herself so hard later.

Lightning punched the wood of the door. She was five steps away from screaming "fuck it!" and throwing her hands up on the whole matter. Not only had Noel noticed, but he had also managed to get Serah and Snow on his side.

_ "Did something happen between Noel and you?"_ Serah had asked her on Monday when they were sitting underneath the patio. It had been before Noel had noticed she was avoiding him. Lightning had shaken the question off easily.

_"Hey, sis."_ Snow had more of a direct approach when it came to handling problems between the members of his small family. _"Why are you avoiding Noel?"_ Her answer had been the typical, _"I'm not."_ He had been about to call her bluff when Serah had called for him from their bedroom. The light bulb had went out and Serah hadn't been able to reach it. Lightning had sighed in relief and darted away.

Lightning poked her head from out of the empty bedroom. Her eyes widened as a black, yellow, and blue tribal shirt greeted her eyes the moment she poked her head out. She tensed and followed that colorful shirt up to the owner. She passed over the interesting necklace he wore, up his chin, lips, and nose to meet his blue eyes. She flinched at the predatory look in them. _'Damn it…'_

"The door gave me away, didn't it?" Lightning asked. He didn't answer her. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to unnerve enough to get her to make a mistake, to push her into a corner without really moving. It wasn't a good idea. When caged, Lightning struck out. He stepped forward. Lightning refused to step back. She only tilted her head slightly to keep eye contact. Noel smirked unwillingly. She was just so stubborn. If she wasn't a challenge, she wouldn't be Lightning.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked; his voice was low. The tone sent chills down Lightning's spin. It was predatory and deep. He stepped closer. His chest brushed her chin. The smell of his aftershave and simply him reached her senses. She swallowed and forced herself to give him an inch. She stepped back to put some distance between them. He only stepped closer. _'He's going to be the death of me…' _Lightning thought as she gave him another inch. He moved to step forward again. Her heart hammered in her chest now. _'How fucked up is it that I'm enjoying this?' _She panicked slightly as Noel moved one foot forward slightly. Her hand shot out and pushed against his chest to keep him back. She had meant just to touch him, but she had ended up shoving him back into the door. It slammed loudly on impact.

"Stop it!" She scolded him and herself viciously. "I'm not some damn animal that you can push into a corner!"

"It was the only way I knew to get your attention." He told her. His voice was slightly heated. "I've tried to talk to you but you just vanish into another room!" Noel pushed a hand through his brunette locks. Lightning's eyes fixed on the way his bangs fell back against his forehead as he brought his hand back down to his side.

"This is hopeless…" She muttered to herself. _'I can't keep avoiding him obviously. And I can't make this go away…'_

"It may be, but we aren't leaving this room until you tell me what in the hell it is that I've done wrong," Noel said as he crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned back against the wall she had shoved him into. His back still hurt slightly from the impact, but he wasn't going to let it show. He wanted to know why someone he considered his friend was going to such lengths to avoid him. He wanted to be able to sleep again without wondering what he had done wrong. And Noel wasn't leaving until he knew. Lightning sighed.

_'But I can't tell him either…'_ She finished her previous line of thought as she stared at him. His blue eyes bore into hers. They pleaded with her to let him in, to stop dodging him. Lightning swallowed. Those damn blue eyes made her want to lay everything out on the table. They were dangerous…so, she looked away. She focused on a space just beside his left ear.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Noel."

"Look at me when you say that then," Noel returned. Lightning forced her eyes back to his.

"You haven't done anything wrong." She told him again. His blue eyes were fucking traps. Her tongue seemed to itch with the want to tell him everything. She bit into it.

"Do I really have to ask you again?" Noel asked her. Lightning sighed again and crossed her own arms over her chest. Silence fell over them. Noel sighed and stepped closer to her. Lightning tilted her head back again to meet his eyes. His smell once again invaded her senses. His blue eyes bore into hers intensely. She swallowed. "You say I haven't done anything…but you avoid me and you won't tell me what's wrong. You won't tell Serah. You won't tell Snow…They're worried about you. _I'm_ worried about you." Lightning wanted him to stop. Those sweet words were what was bothering her now. His care for her was bothering her. It made her heart flutter in her chest. It made her want to blush. In this moment, she hated him.

"If I open up to Serah, will you stop shoving me into a corner?" Lightning asked. Noel blinked. She sounded so tired. He stared at her for a moment. She had light rings underneath her green eyes. It bothered him, but what bothered him a little more was that he wanted her to open up to _him. _It really shouldn't matter who she talked too as long as she got this off of her chest. So, he nodded.

"I will, but if this is something you are saying just to get away from me I swear I will tie you up, lock you in your bedroom, and keep you there until you tell me what's wrong." Lightning's eyebrows shot up.

_'Well, that sounded really sexual and counterproductive…'_ Lightning thought. _'I think…he could make me a bondage girl…' _Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. _'Right…huge no, no. Stop thinking like that. It's not like he would actually do it anyway.' _She held onto that thought.

"You would not," she said as Noel turned and opened the bedroom door. Noel glanced over his shoulder at her and smirked.

"Try me," he said as he walked out. Lightning stayed in her place as her mind threatened to take her down a trip to Naughty Village. The trip had just gotten started when Lightning shook her head roughly and slapped her hand to her forehead.

"Right," she shook her head again to shake the last memories. "Time to find Serah…"

Lightning stood in front of Serah's bedroom door. She could hear the beginnings of what seemed like Serah's good time. She knocked on the door.

"Serah?" She called after she heard Snow whisper, _"ignore them…"_ There was a loud thud from inside. Lightning covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. She could see Serah shoving the larger Snow off of her at the sound of her voice. _"Serah's worried about you," _the memory of the statement dampened her amusement. The door opened.

"Sis?" It was Snow. Lightning raised her eyebrows. "How are you?" He asked.

"Amused." _'Flustered because Noel just backed me into a corner. Aggravated because he backed me into a corner. Embarrassed because I have to talk to Serah about this. Annoyed because I'd been trying to avoid facing it. Ashamed because I'd worried all you so badly. Did I mention I was also a little horny because of the reason I was flustered? Yeah, I'm just a regular storm of conflicting emotions here.'_ Lightning thought as she looked at her future brother-in-law. He shifted awkwardly. "You?"

"Snow, put a shirt on!" Serah called from the bathroom. Lightning looked over Snow's large shoulder to see Serah poking her head out from the bathroom door.

"It's not like I haven't seen it before."

"What?!"

"She/I patched me/him up a long time ago," both Snow and Lightning explained together. "Nothing even remotely sexual," Snow finished. Lightning crinkled her nose.

"Let's never do that again, okay?" Lightning said as Serah stepped out from the bathroom. Snow looked over his shoulder at his fiancée. The adoration on his face bothered her just a little bit. It used to not, but now she wanted that for herself. Not Snow, of course, but someone that would adore her as much as Snow did her sister. Annoyance came back full force. _'Damn it all to hell!'_ She growled mentally. _'I'm five seconds away from stomping to Noel's room, shoving him against the wall, and showing him just what the hell is wrong with me!'_ Her mind played that out. She saw her doing that and him pushing her away. It would ruin their friendship—not that her avoiding him hadn't already damaged it.

"What?" Snow asked as he finally turned his attention back to her. Serah stood at his side. Her pink head was tilted toward her expectantly.

"Run on the same brain wavelength. It's just disturbing," Lightning recalled what it was they were never supposed to do again. Snow grinned.

"There's the old Lighting," he said. Lightning rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Serah.

"I need to talk to you without your fiancée or Noel hovering around." Serah raised her eyebrows while Snow's grin fell.

"What's wrong, sis?" He asked. His tone suddenly serious. Lightning glanced over at him. His blue eyes had lost their playful sheen in favor of a more serious air that looked all wrong on him.

"Serah will tell you later," Lightning told him. She knew her sister well enough to know that she never kept anything from Snow for long; and that he was too stubborn to let something like this go.

"If you know that she's going to tell me then why not just tell me yourself?" Snow asked her. Lightning raised her eyebrows. Serah shook her head.

"Where are we going?" Serah asked as she stepped past Snow. Lightning shrugged. Serah followed her sister out of the front door to their home. The smell of the sea around them calmed Lightning's nerves only a little. She walked out to the pier. Serah followed. "So, what's been bothering you?" Serah asked as she stood behind Lightning.

"I think I have a crush on Noel," Lightning put out there. "And I don't like it." Lightning was so used to being in complete control of her emotions that this crush was really throwing her off.

"You mean you've never had a crush before?" Serah asked. Lightning glared over at her.

"Of course I have. It's just they didn't affect me like _this._" She spat out "this" as if it were the worst curse she could think of. "Besides, it's not like anything can come from it. He's my friend." And there was the heart of the problem, Serah realized. They were friends. Lightning didn't want anything to ruin that friendship.

"You'll never know if you don't take a chance," Serah pointed out. Lightning snorted.

"Right." Lightning looked away from her sister and toward the fading sun. It cast beautiful colors across the sky that reflected in the clear water. "Besides…" She said wistfully. "He's not ready. He's still got feeling for Yeul. They may be fading, but those feelings are still there. It would only confuse him." There was nothing Serah could do, but listen to her sister's quiet musing. Serah knew that her sister was right in a way. Noel wasn't ready. _'But…'_ Serah thought as she looked toward her sister, _'when will he be? Are you willing to wait long, Lightning?' _Serah reached out and held her sister's hand. The only acknowledgement she got was a slight squeeze.

They stayed out on the pier until the sun fell completely from the sky. Lightning had been simply lost in thought while Serah had been standing silently beside her sister. It wasn't until they had turned around to go back inside that Serah turned to her sister and spoke.

"Will you be the maid of honor at my wedding?"

"Of course I will," Lightning returned easily.


	6. Stay the Night

**Try Me**

**6. Stay the Night**

**Summary: **A vicious nightmare brings Snow, Serah, and Noel into Lightning's bedroom, but only one stays to chase any further nightmares away.

**A/N: **Thank you to the people that favorite and follow this story. I would also like to thank piromanija, beren, GUREN, and TheCrystalFlame for reviewing. Here's another chapter for all of you beautiful readers.

* * *

((Stay the Night takes place only a couple of hours after Avoidance.))

* * *

It was like watching a horror movie on repeat. The thick black chaos circled around her friends and family again. The only difference was this time Noel was there with them. She felt it pulling at her, pulling her back into the giant rift that the chaos had torn open. It clung tightly to her skin, but she couldn't grasp it. Her hands passed right through it to her own skin. There was no getting it off.

'_Not again!'_ She thought as it tugged her heavily. She stumbled backward closer to the endless pit behind her. She knew where it led—Valhalla, an endless place where all that awaited for her was endless battle or nothingness. She struggled harder as the fear and desperation crept in on her. _'Why?! You don't need me!' _She screamed in her mind. _'You released me as your protector when Caius was defeated in both Valhalla and here!'_ She could hear her friends and family conversing as if she wasn't being pulled back into the darkness. Sazh was holding up little Dajh who was pointing up at the pillar. Serah smiled over at Snow who was holding her hand tightly. Finally, she turned her eyes to Noel just as he moved to glance over his shoulder toward her. She went to call out for him, but the next tug the chaos gave robbed her of her breath. She stumbled back even closer to rift. She glanced behind her. One more tug and she would be over the edge. She closed her eyes and forced herself to look back to her friends. She found Noel still in the process of turning around. Had the Chaos managed to slow down time as well? Maybe if she could just get his attention he would see her; he would see what was happening to her.

"Noel!" She screamed past the loud wind as the chaos and yellow strands of ancient writing shot through the air around her. She watched as his blue eyes widened. He didn't nudge the others to bring their attention to her plight; he just started running toward her. Chaos attempted to block his path at every turn. The thick black smoke blocked his vision in quick bursts of wind. She extended her hand through the thick fog of chaos as it tightened around her. "You promised, remember!" She called out fearfully. "Don't let her take me back!" She called out to him again. He looked in the direction of her scream and ran toward it. "Please…" The desperation she felt made her voice break. It tugged her a final time. Tears slipped from the corner of her eyes as she tumbled over the edge.

* * *

Noel shot up as he heard the bloodcurdling, fear-filled scream of his name. Instantly, he was out of bed. He strained his ears for signs of danger as he darted down the hallway. All was silent except for slight whimpers coming from Lightning's room. Serah and Snow appeared shortly after he did. Snow's blonde hair was ruffled horribly; Serah's knee length, lavender lily covered robe was barely tied and, like Snow's, her hair was down; but Noel didn't pay attention to any of that. Snow forced the door open. All three rushed inside. Serah covered her mouth at the sight of her sister's pale face. The covers were tangled around her legs.

"Lightning…" Noel whispered. She was screaming for him in a nightmare, pleading with him to help her.

"You promised," Lightning whispered brokenly in her sleep. "Don't let her take me back…" Snow and Serah looked at him and raised their eyebrows. He ignored them and grabbed Lightning's free hand in his.

"I won't..." Noel whispered to her. He stared at her pale face. The tears racing down her face cut him. Could he not even save her in a world of fantasy?

"Nothing's going to take you away from us again…" Snow told his sister-in-law as he joined Noel's side.

"Everything's okay…" Serah whispered to her sister as she climbed onto the bed next to her. Serah wrapped her arms around her sister to the best of her ability. Her heart broke as she felt the violent shivers coming from her. "We're here…" She whispered.

* * *

Noel's cold, metal ring scrapped against her wrist as he grabbed her. She latched instantly onto his wrist with her hand. His upper half dangled dangerously over the rift. Lightning's eyes widened.

"_I won't,"_ he promised. The chaos pulled her harder. Noel's body slid deeper into the chaos filled rift. He would fall over with her if she didn't let him go now. She tightened her hand around his wrist. She wanted to save him…but she didn't want to go back. It Chaos pulled harder. Now his hips were over. His feet digging into the ground and the hand he had pressed into the wall of the rift had to be the only thing keeping him up there. 'I came back last time…who's to say I won't this time?' She reasoned with herself as she loosened her hand from his wrist. She felt herself sliding down more into the chaos. His ring scrapped painfully against her wrist as he fought to hold onto her. She closed her eyes as she felt her hand slid over his. Her eyes popped open as his hand clamped tightly against hers. His blue eyes turned darker. "Don't you dare let go," he viciously demanded. Noel looked over his shoulder suddenly, but Lightning couldn't see why. Slowly, Noel was being pulled up and her along with him. She saw a flash of blonde hair; then the rest of Snow came into the picture. He was holding Noel's legs to keep him from falling over the ravine.

"_Nothing's going to take you away from us again…" _Snow promised to her. Noel's arm started to shake underneath the strain of holding her up. She heard a small pop come from his arm as the chaos tugged her hard. He grit his teeth. Snow pulled Noel's upper body up over the ravine. The chaos struggled to keep ahold of her, but she could feel its hold loosening on her. Another hand reached down for her. Lightning looked away from the abbess that the chaos was trying to pull her into to see her sister. Serah's sympathetic and loving blue eyes stared down at her. A gentle smile curved her sister's lips.

"_Everything okay,"_ she promised as Lightning grabbed her hand. _"We're here."_ All three tugged her over the ravine. The last of the chaos slipped away from her underneath the power of their combined strength. Noel helped her to her feet gently. Serah hadn't let go of her hand. Snow grinned and bumped his fists together.

"After all," he said cockily, "we've got a wedding to plan." Lightning snorted and shook her head. Serah and Noel bopped the blonde on the back of the head at the same time. Lightning met Noel's eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. He smiled.

It was as the dream faded away that Lightning began to feel the warmth pressed to her right side and the heavy weights on her left hand and shoulder. She popped her eyes open and looked around. She spotted Snow first. His blue eyes lit up.

"Hey!" He greeted her gently. At his delighted greeting, Lightning felt Noel let go of her hand. She attempted to ignore the disappointment she felt.

"Why are you in my room?" She croaked to them. She had a pretty good idea if the nightmare was any indication. Serah had told her once before that she talked in her sleep.

"You…uh…" Snow wasn't sure how to continue. Lightning would be embarrassed if she knew that they had all came in here like this because of a nightmare.

"Screamed," Noel supplied. Snow tensed. Brilliant. Lightning's face flushed.

"Ah…" She turned her head away from the two men to see Serah lying beside her. _'So, she was the source of the warmth…_' Serah raised her hand and wiped a stray tear off of Lightning's cheek.

"It's all over now, you know that don't you? Etro isn't going to take you back again. You did your job," Serah told her quietly. "She'd have to go through all of us if she wanted to again." Lightning chuckled as she heard the familiar sound of Snow's beating his fists together.

"Damn straight she would," Snow said. Lightning shook her head.

"Gonna fight a goddess for me, Snow?" Lightning teased. Snow shrugged.

"Been there, done that." He shrugged. "I'll just be fighting for a different sister." Lightning felt the bed shift as Serah got up. Lightning turned her eyes away as her sister's robe sleeve dipped down a little too low. She smacked Noel's head down before Snow could. Serah blushed and pulled her sleeve back up.

"Go," Lightning told the couple, "get dressed or do whatever. I'll be fine." She became aware of Noel's hair tickling her fingers. She pulled her hand off of his head quickly.

"Thanks," he muttered as he rotated his neck. Snow smiled sheepishly at her while Serah just blushed.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Serah pressed. Lightning nodded.

"I wasn't attacked by some horrible beast, Serah. It was just a nightmare," Lightning shrugged it off. Serah stared at her for a moment before she caved. Her sister wouldn't accept help from her. Snow grabbed her hand in his.

"See you tomorrow, sis. Don't have any more nightmares, okay?" Snow requested as he tugged his fiancée out of her bedroom. Lightning snorted and shook her head.

"Right…" Her attention then turned to the only one who had stayed: Noel. He sat exactly where they had left them. His blue eyes stared at her thoughtfully. Lightning cleared her throat quietly to get his attention. He blinked. "Aren't you…leaving?"

"Only if you're coming with me," Noel returned. Lightning's mouth fell open slightly in shock. "You may be able to play it off as simply a nightmare to the others, but they didn't see you that night." Lightning didn't have to ask what night he was talking about.

"How much did I say?" Lightning asked slowly, fearfully. For Noel to react this way…

"You screamed for me," he scratched the top of his head. Lightning had long since noticed this as a nervous habit of his. She looked away from his eyes as a blush threatened to arise. "You told me that I'd promised and begged me not to let her take you back." Lightning didn't say anything. What could she say? I'm sorry? She wasn't. I didn't mean to wake you? That was true, but she hadn't wanted to be in that dream any longer. "Move over."

"What?" Lightning asked, baffled by the sudden demand. Noel stood up from his knees and dusted his sleep pant legs off. Noel glanced up at her pointedly. Slowly, Lightning did as he asked. He sat down on the bed beside her.

"I promised that I wouldn't let you go back there again, I failed," Noel was staring her in the eye as he spoke. Lightning shook her head.

"You didn't-" Lightning started.

"I did," he cut her off. His blue eyes were staring sharply into hers. "You went back there in your dreams. If we hadn't come in here when we did, I think you would have had to relive it all over again."

"You can't stay with me night after night, Noel. I'm a big girl. I can chase the nightmares away myself."

"I can keep them away tonight."

"Noel…"

"Lightning." Noel took her hands in his. He held them up between them. "Are you even aware that you've been shaking ever since you woke up?" Lightning glanced to her hands to see his point. Her hands were shaking slightly in his. She frowned and went to pull her hands out of his, but he tightened his grip. "I'm not leaving until you're okay."

"I'm not going to win this, am I?" Lightning asked with a small sigh. Noel's blue eyes were still deeply serious as he shook his head. "Why does it matter so much to you?" She asked, truly curious. Her question made him pause. Why did it matter so much to him?

He couldn't protect his people from the fate that was befalling them in 700 AF. He couldn't protect Yeul from her visions. He couldn't protect Caius from his own reckless behavior. He had felt helpless all of his life; then along comes this goddess out of some fairytale who tells him he can change the future. She gives him hope. She leads his way to a new world filed with new people. Why did she matter so much to him indeed?

He wanted to repay her for all of the things she had done for him, but it was more than that. He saw who Lightning was on the inside. She was a woman that was hiding her emotions behind a mask. Slowly, he was chipping past that cement mask that hid her from the world. All of the emotions she tried to hide, he saw in her eyes now; and they were just as beautiful as she was. However, he couldn't tell her all of this. At least, not until he had worked it all out himself.

"Because _you _matter," Noel told her. Lightning looked away from him. She could feel her heart beating a furious tempo in her chest. She pressed her fist to her chest.

'_It doesn't matter what he says tonight. We'll still just be friends in the morning. We can't be anything else.'_ Lightning told herself as she forced herself to look back at him. _'He probably doesn't mean it like it sounds anyway.' _

"Lay down then…" Lightning sighed. Noel looked back at her. Lightning scooted down underneath the covers. Noel laid down next to her and pulled the cover over himself. He laid on his back and closed his eyes. Lightning scooted a small distance away from him. Her bed was only a queen so there wasn't much room on it for two people and respectable distance. She would be in danger of falling off the bed, but there was no way she was putting her heart through that much proximity with Noel Kreiss.

* * *

Noel's eyes snapped open as his mind registered the small whimper that came from beside him. He glanced over to see Lightning's lips twisted into a grimace. He debated on waking her up, but the rings underneath her eyes stopped him. _'Has she been going through this all week?' _He wondered as he reached for her. He slid his arm underneath her shoulder blades and pulled her closer to him. She didn't wake. _'She's exhausted,'_ he realized. Lightning was generally a light sleeper. She would wake at the slightest sound in her room. So the fact that he could touch her and she wouldn't wake spoke volumes to him. His eyes widened slightly as she scooted closer to him. Her left leg raised over his hips and wedged itself in between his. She threw her left arm over his chest. Her right hand was tucked underneath his pillow. The grimace that had been on her face smoothed out. Noel swallowed. _'Well…She made me into her life-sized teddy bear…' _He thought. He really had no choice but to go back to sleep. Her body heat may or may not have coaxed his decision. _'How is she…so warm?' _He wondered as his eyelids became heavier. By the morning, his free hand had draped over the hand that she had thrown over his chest.

* * *

Serah tiptoed across the hall to peak in on her sister around three a.m. Her worry for her sister had stopped her from sleeping (and any activity that Snow and she had been engaged in before). Snow had fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. She eased the door open and smiled instantly at the sight that greeted her.

'_Noel stayed…'_ She thought gratefully as she looked in on them. She could tell by the large mass underneath the covers that her two important people had gravitated toward one another during the night. She smothered her chuckle. _'This is becoming a common scene…'_ She placed her hand against the door knob and cast them one last look as she pulled the door closed. _'I hope Noel doesn't take too long, sis, for your sake and his.'_

* * *

Lightning snuggled closer to the warm at the side as she registered the birds chirping outside. Her eyes popped open when she felt the source of warm chuckle. She slowly looked up to see Noel Kreiss looking down at her. She blinked sleepily for a moment before realizing just who it was she was staring up at. Her face instantly caught flame. Noel fought not to grin.

'_**Lightning**__ is blushing…' _He thought in shock. He would never tell her that he thought she looked adorable with her hair down her back instead of pulled to the side, baggy T-shirt, and sweatpants. Her blush only heightened the adorableness.

"Sorry," she muttered as she gently pulled her leg out from between his. She pushed herself up off of his chest and sat up slowly. She ran a hand through her tangled pink hair. Noel pushed the arm that he had been holding onto her with discretely underneath his pillow. "How long have you been awake?" She asked. Her voice was still filled with sleep.

"Since six," he answered. Lightning glanced toward the alarm clock on the nightstand. She looked back to him and raised an eyebrow. It was seven now. That meant he had laid there with her for an hour. "I didn't want to wake you up."

"Clearly," Lightning stated as she rubbed one of her eyes. Noel chuckled.

"Who would have thought that you were so slow to wake up in the morning…" He commented with a grin. Lightning's heart raced as she looked down at him. He lay there in her bed like he belonged there. His arms were crossed behind his head but were covered by the pillow. His blue eyes twinkled as they stared at her. He looked so comfortable. The easy grin on his face completed the look.

"I'm usually not," Lightning muttered. Noel didn't say anything. They sat there in silence for a moment before Lightning woke up enough to realize Noel had indeed stayed with her all night. "Thank you…" She whispered. "For staying…"

"No problem," Noel said as he sat up. Lightning couldn't help but watch as he stretched his hands high above his head. She heard multiple pops and winced.

"Did I keep you like that all night?" She asked. Noel looked at her as he stretched.

"Pretty much, but it didn't bother me any." He was just glad that she hadn't woken up before him. He had been holding her hand above his heart; his other arm had been wrapped around her waist and-due to her weight being on it all night-asleep. Lightning nodded and threw her feet over her side of the bed. Noel stayed where he was.

"I'd better go get ready…" She sighed. "Serah said that she wanted to go dressing shopping for the bridesmaids…Since she made me the maid of honor I suppose I'm included in this." Noel chuckled.

"You in a dress? I can't wait," he joked. Lightning glared at him over her shoulder.

"The same could be said about you in a tux," Lightning returned. Noel grinned.

"So eager to see this _hot, hot body _in a tuxedo, huh?" Noel teased. Lightning turned her head away from him before he could see her blush.

"Right…because that's so it," she drawled just for show. Noel chuckled.

"Well, maid of honor, save a slot on your dance card for me," he told as he walked past her. Lightning's face turned red.

"I don't dance!" She hollered after him.

"Oh, you will," Serah said from her spot walking up the hallway. She wore a grin despite the tone of her words. Her sister and Noel were just so adorable. She doubted they even noticed that they had been flirting. Snow had started up a bet with her a few days ago. Since he still didn't know Lightning had feelings for Noel, Serah was certain she would win. The conditions were easy: Serah bet that Noel and Lightning would get together within six months. Snow bet that they would get together this time next year if ever.

"What are you grinning about?" Lightning asked warily. Serah just smiled and shook her head. She giggled at the wary, suspicious look that crossed Lightning's face.

'_What have I gotten myself into today?'_ Lightning wondered.


	7. The Next Contestant

**Try Me**

**7. The Last Contestant**

**Chapter Summary: **An unofficial competition is wagged between two of groomsmen. They both have a common goal in sight: Lightning.

**A/N: **I would like to thank AnonymouslyResearched, spring . stout , TheCrystalFlame, beren, claireaveria, and SupernaturalGirlx for your reviews.

* * *

**((The Last Contestant takes place two weeks from Stay the Night.))**

* * *

Noel, Hope, Gadot, Yuj, and Maqui were getting dizzy as they watched Snow pace around the room. After many more minutes of watching him trod the carpet down, Noel stepped in front of him. Just as Snow turned, he grabbed the bigger man's forearms.

"Snow, deep breaths. Serah's been with you this long; I doubt she's going to bolt now." Noel patted his forearms before letting go. Snow did as he demanded and took deep, even breaths to calm himself down. After a few minutes, he grinned and clapped Noel on the shoulder hard enough to stagger a man his size. Noel, however, stood his ground easily against it.

"Thanks. I needed that. How much longer do you think it's going to be?" Snow asked as he looked over at his other friends. Gadot, Maqui, and Yuj looked at one another. They seemed to be trying to remember just what had been said before. He rolled his eyes. _'What a helpful lot you three are…'_

"Lightning said she'd come and tell us when it was time for you to be at the altar." Noel said immediately after Snow posed the question. Snow suppressed the urge to tease Noel with _"of course you would remember…" _Ever since Serah and he formed that bet, he had been paying closer and closer attention to Light and Noel's interactions. Noel paid a large amount of attention to Light. At first, Snow had thought it was because he was neglecting Noel as a friend. So he had started hanging out with him more. But even when all four of them were in the room, Noel still paid more attention with Light spoke. The same went for Lightning. The sinking feeling that he was going to lose yet another bet had set in.

"Out of context," He was pulled from his thoughts by Yuj's voice, "this would sound as though we were sacrificing him…"

"We technically are," Maqui pointed out. "After tonight, he will no longer be a free man…" Maqui shook his head as if it were some tragedy. Gadot laughed while Noel just smirked.

"Not such a sacrifice, boys…" Snow told them as he clapped them both on the shoulders. The weight of impact made the men stumble. "Oh, sorry, guys." Snow apologized instantly.

* * *

Lightning stuck the last pin in Serah's up-do. She had asked that her hair be braided and twisted into a bun. For flare, Lebreau had stuck some of the white flowers from a nearby vase into her hair as they went.

"You look beautiful," Lightning complimented her sister as she placed her hands on her sister's bare shoulders. The dress Serah had picked out had been a lilac colored dress with a sweetheart neckline. Lightning had wrapped their mother's white scarf around her sister's waist twice. On the first wrap around, she had fastened it with a safety pin. Lightning had then pulled the white fabric up over the safety pin and tucked it in at the side. For the something blue, Lebreau had given her one of her old necklaces. It was as small blue stone that hung from a thin, cream colored band of twisted leather. Each time her sister moved, the blue stone would reflect purple. The dress flared beautifully once it touched her hips. Ruffles wrapped diagonally around the fabric as it trailed down to the floor.

"That she does," Lebreau commented from beside her. Serah blushed and fidgeted with her hands.

"I'm so nervous, but I really shouldn't be right? Snow and I have waited for this day for three years!" Serah exclaimed. Lebreau grinned. If Serah was this frazzled, she could only image how bad Snow was. She could still remember how delighted he had been that she had said yes. The smile was permanent.

"Planning and doing are very different things," Lightning commented as she turned her sister's chair around so that Lebreau could do her makeup. "Nerves are expected. I would be worried if you weren't. This is a big step in your life."

"That was almost poetic, Light," Lebreau said as she uncapped the mascara. "So are you finally okay with Snow marrying your sister?" Lightning didn't answer. It was a stupid question. She was here. She helped plan it. Of course she was okay with Snow marrying Serah.

_"This will be the last tear she'll ever cry…" _Snow had promised her. Over the course of their journey, she had grown to believe him. Serah's happiness was the most important thing to him. That had been enough for her.

"I'm going to go see how the boys are doing," Lightning said as she moved away from the stool her sister sat on. She couldn't do anything to help Lebreau. The bartender wouldn't let her.

"Send Snow my love." Serah asked as she walked toward the door. Lightning smirked.

"Okay…"

* * *

Every man in the room looked toward the door at the sound of the knock. Snow's nerves came back full force.

"Everyone decent?" Lightning called through the doorway.

"Yes!" Snow answered.

"No wait! Snow, give me my pants! You said no one would be coming in, you bastard!" Yuj hollered out over his shoulder. Noel covered his laugh with a cough. Outside the door, Lightning rolled her eyes. A loud smack was heard through the door. Yuj yelped.

"Come on in, Light," Snow said as he glared over at his friend. Yuj rubbed the back of his head. Lightning pushed the door open. For a moment, there was complete silence as each man took her appearance in.

Her hair brushed down her back and curled beautifully. Her bangs were pinned back with a dark purple barrette. Her blue-green eyes popped due to the light purple eye shadow. Mascara darkened her eyelashes and caused them to curl outward. Her lips were painted a light pink. She wore no foundation because she didn't need it.

The dress Serah had picked out for Lightning complimented her perfectly. It was a deep purple dress that reached her knees. The straps seemed to tie underneath one another at her sternum and then lay over at the middle of her shoulder blades. A tight dark purple fabric belt wrapped around her waist. The dress flared out from that fabric belt. If she spun it would certainly fly up to her thighs. Noel's eyes traveled down her tone legs. Like the dress, the heels she wore were dark purple. From the black sole, dark purple softened leather wrapped around the top of her foot and all the way up to her ankle. A buckle fastened the heels to her feet.

Noel was captivated. Not that he would tell her, but he thought she looked gorgeous in whatever she wore; now he was blown away by her. He started slowly tracing back up her legs to her face. The goosebumps that arose on her skin did not escape his notice. He was surprised to see that her eyes were focused directly on him.

Lightning hated herself a little. She was in a room filled with attractive men, yet her eyes focused on only one. Like the others, he had forgone a tie and had removed his customary jewelry. He had left three buttons undone. The sleeves of the tuxedo jacket were rolled up to his elbows. She couldn't help but be a little disappointed that he had taken off the leather arm wrap and ring; she understood however. The dress pants fit him just as well as the jacket did. She swallowed. She wasn't going to be paying any attention during the wedding especially since he would be standing right across from her.

"You look beautiful, sis," Snow breathed. Lightning tore her attention quickly away from Noel. The shocked and slightly awed expression on Snow's face pulled an amused smirk onto her lips.

"Lebreau's doing her make up now. She should be ready in a few minutes," Lightning shifted onto her left heel. The other men had yet to tear their eyes away from her. She smothered the proud smirk that threatened to touch her lips. "She said she loves you." Snow smiled widely at her words. A brief silence fell over them. Gadot seemed to be the first to shake himself out of his Lightning-induced daze.

"You clean up nice, Lightning," Gadot 'complimented.' Lightning glanced over at him and raised her eyebrows.

"I don't really think that's a compliment, Gadot…" Yuj muttered.

"Like you could do better," Gadot returned. Lightning shook her head in amusement.

"You look gorgeous, Light…" Hope muttered. Lightning smiled softly at the young boy. His green eyes avoided hers as he spoke the compliment. He was the only one that wore a tie with his tuxedo. Hope had been asked to be the ring bearer for them.

"Thank you, Hope. You look nice too." He blushed and shifted onto his left foot. He muttered a quiet "thank you." Lightning smiled a little wider. Snow sniggered.

"I think Hope won." Snow laughed. Lightning chuckled and looked toward Gadot.

"Be ready to walk her down the aisle once the music starts." For that reason, Gadot was to be stationed at the end of the line. Serah had wanted him to do it because he had been the one to take care of her when Snow had went to find Lightning. He had been there to reassure her, Serah had said. While it was true that Noel had done all of those things, Serah had told her that Gadot had confessed to feeling as though he had been pushed to the side. She thought that it would soften the sting if Gadot walked her down the aisle.

At the statement, Gadot's eyes instantly softened. A gentle smile rose instantly to his lips. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said. Lightning smiled. Serah had been right. She squeezed Gadot's forearm. He flexed his muscle. Lightning chuckled and shook her head as she walked toward the door…and coincidently Noel who now had his arms crossed over his chest. She would not allow herself to think that he was jealous; it was simply be getting her hopes up. He leaned in close to her ear just as she was about to pass him and whispered:

"Remember to save me that dance…"

* * *

Serah titled her head as Lightning re-entered the room.

"That took a long time," Serah said. "I'm all dolled up and ready to go!"

"I think I shocked them all mute…" Lightning muttered as she leaned against the wall. Serah laughed. "Which that means you're going to kill a few. Snow might even stop breathing altogether." The worried look that washed over Serah's face made Lightning laugh. "I'm kidding, of course. He's seen you naked," Serah's face instantly turned red, "he can survive this."

"Thanks for airing all of that dirty laundry, Light…" Lebreau muttered. "I'm going to have to wash my brain with bleach now because of that lovely image."

"You're not the one that has to listen to it," Lightning told her. One pink eyebrow was raised into her hairline.

"You poor thing…" Lebreau cooed sympathetically. A small squeak of shock escaped Lebreau as a pillow from the white couch smacked her across the face. Lightning caught the other in her hand before it could hit her as well. A violently blushing Serah stood by the couch with her hands balled into fists at her side.

"Stop it! Both of you!"

* * *

Noel shifted uncomfortably in front of the large crowd. He stood just behind Snow's left shoulder as he listened to the music. Lightning walked through first. He was startled to feel his heart rate begin to rise. Lightning reached her place. She pointed playfully at Snow once she was in position.

"You'd better take care of her…" She warned. A chuckle went through the church. Sazh, who was marrying Snow and Serah, chuckled.

"Or she'll hit you again…" He mumbled. Snow chuckled nervously and rubbed his jaw as if the memory of her fist had been imprinted into his skin. Lightning smirked. The line turned their attention back to Lebreau as she stepped up beside them.

"Guys, pay attention!" She hissed. All talk stopped, but Noel couldn't keep his attention on the aisle in front of him. His eyes kept straying to the woman standing across from him.

"Have you seen Gadot?" He could hear Lebreau whispering to Lightning. Lightning was glancing over at her out of the corner of her blue-green eyes. "I saw him in the hall…can I just say yummy?" An amused smirk flickered onto her lips.

_ 'Could I really be developing a crush on her?'_ He wondered as he watched her shift onto her left foot. His eyes once more traveled to those damn heels that made her legs look all the more attractive. He forced himself to look back toward the aisle. The last bridesmaid was walking down the aisle. Noel had been introduced to her, but he couldn't remember her name. She smiled at him as she took her place across from where Gadot would be standing, but he was too lost in his thoughts to return any type of greeting. _'It's just attraction…'_ He tried to reason, but his mind flickered back to inside the room. _Lightning had just touched Gadot's arm and squeezed. Gadot had flexed his muscle underneath her palm; Lightning had laughed._ He hadn't wanted to believe it at the time, but Noel had been jealous. There was no other name for that outrageous amount of anger that swept through him at the sight. _'Maybe I'm not __developing__ a crush on her…maybe I'm already there…but when did it happen?'_ He flicked his eyes to Lightning again. Her green-blue eyes were focused on the aisle. The music changed to Here Comes the Bride. Noel forced his eyes away from her. Serah was on her way down the aisle. Like before, his breath left him at the sight of his best friend; but unlike before, he quickly regained it. He heard Snow's quick intake of breath. He glanced over at him. The most ridiculous look was on his face. His crystal blue eyes were wide and glassy. His lips had spread into the widest grin Noel had ever seen on his face. Noel smirked in amusement and look toward Lightning on reflex. Her blue-green eyes sparkled with mirth. She returned her eyes to her sister quickly. Noel smothered his irrational feeling of disappointment. He turned his eyes back to Serah just in time to see her reaching the steps that led toward the preacher and Snow. Gadot passed her hand to Snow's and stepped back down into his place.

Snow seemed to buzz with nervous energy until the ring was finally placed on Serah's finger and the words "I now announce you husband and wife" were spoken. Noel smiled in amusement and happiness as Snow grabbed Serah into her arms and pulled her into a very heated kiss. He was happy for them, for Serah. She had wanted to be with him all throughout their journey. He still was haunted by her pained cries when Snow was disappearing right before their eyes. He looked toward Lightning now. She wore a soft, amused smile as she watched Snow and Serah.

Gadot cleared his throat from the end of the groomsmen line.

"Dude, save it for the honeymoon…" He boomed. Laughter rang out through the guests. Lightning smirked as Serah pushed herself out of his arms with a small blush. Snow just wrapped his large arm around her waist and beamed.

* * *

Serah laughed loudly from Snow's arms as men crowed around her sister asking for a dance. Lightning looked so uncomfortable that Serah almost took pity on her, almost. She was still angry about the teasing Lebreau and her sister had put her through earlier. Snow quirked an eyebrow at his wife's sudden laughter. He stirred them so that he was in her previous line of vision. He chuckled at the sight. The men pressed closer to Lightning. One man tried to reach for Lightning's hand. She pulled it out of his reach by folding her hands behind her back.

"They sure are trying, aren't they?" Snow chuckled. Serah nodded against her husband's shoulder.

Noel watched from the corner of the room as men surrounded Lightning like Gorgonopsid males surround a female in heat. He narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of Gadot glancing over at Lightning as well. The large redhead moved toward them. Noel uncrossed his arms from his chest and kicked away from the wall that he had been leaning against with his left foot. The champagne he had consumed at the dinner gave him the liquid courage he needed.

Lightning was nearing the urge to use violence to part the men that surrounded her when a hand grabbed her wrist and swiftly pulled her away from _them_.

"Sorry, boys, but I believe this lovely lady and I already have a date," Noel said as they moved away from the hoard of men. He smothered his smirk as Gadot stared at him. The large redhead was soon distracted by Lebreau touching his arm and demanding for a dance. Goosebumps flared up Lightning's arms as she looked down at the lightly tanned hand that had a pale ring around his middle finger. Her eyes trailed up the arm and followed the pale pattern that was left by his leather wrapping. He pulled her onto the dance floor by her wrist and then gently tugged her into his arms. His hand slid from her wrist to her hand. There he laced their fingers together. Lightning swallowed and forced herself to meet familiar blue eyes. "Hey." He greeted. Lightning smiled despite her nerves.

"Thanks for that…" Lightning muttered. She would have jerked her head back toward the disappointed hoard of men, but Noel's hand distracted her. He barely touched her as he ran it down from her shoulder. His fingertips caressed her arm as his hand moved to her waist. Her heart was racing now as he curled his hand around her waist. Her mouth went dry as Noel smiled.

"No problem. After all, you did promise me a dance. I just staked first claim," he stated as he pushed their feet into movement. Lightning moved her eyes to a spot beside his left shoulder to keep from staring into his eyes any longer. It was a horrible idea. She caught sight of Serah's smirking lips. She would have been content to just stare at that, but Noel's next statement made her eyes snap back to those deep blue traps. "Hope was wrong. You don't look gorgeous…" Anger flared through her a moment, but Noel quickly remedied her anger. "You _are._" Lightning's mouth fell open. A violent blush rushed to her cheeks.

_'He's just a friend, right?'_ Lightning tried to reassure herself as she looked away from his eyes once again. This time she focused on their hands.

"Then again, you are every day." Lightning swallowed and tried to calm her heart rate before he felt her pulse rate through the veins in her fingers. The champagne coursing through her system didn't help. If he wasn't careful, her self-control would snap. She had been good ever since she stopped avoiding him. She'd been able to hide her growing feelings for him and her strong attraction. The more he kept talking like that, the more the alcohol encouraged her to throw caution to the wind. _'Someone…save me from this man…'_ She thought. _'Before I do something I'll regret.'_ It seemed she suddenly got her wish in the form of a large ginger.

"Mind if I cut in?" He asked. Noel bit into his cheek, but released her from his hold. He slowly removed his hand from her waist; he let his fingertips linger as he pulled away. His sharp eyes didn't miss Lightning's shiver. He forced a smile onto his lips and passed her hand to Gadot. Just before the large ginger took her hand, Noel leaned down close to her ear.

"I'll find you later…" He promised Lightning quietly. He let his lips brush the shell of her ear. She shivered again. He didn't bother hiding his smirk as he moved away. He pushed his hands into his pockets as he walked toward the refreshment stand.

Lightning couldn't stop thinking of Noel as she danced with Gadot. Nothing Gadot did would get her attention. It was starting to frustrate the hot-tempered man, but even he knew that he had lost. He chuckled slightly as he thought of the glances during the wedding and the lingering touches of both them as Noel passed her off. _'Then again…I suppose I never had a chance to begin with.'_

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_For Serah's dress: _** dresseslux organza-sweetheart-neckline-a-line-wedding-dress-dresses-uk / **Picture it as I described though. You know lilac in color. Where that sequenced thing is imagine the white scarf I talked about.

_For Lightning's dress: _** img0 . etsystatic 017 / 0 / 8084934 / il_340x270 . 501434032 _ dhi7 . jpg for the visual image of the dress. Imagine it dark purple though.**


	8. Champagne

**Try Me**

**8. Champagne**

**Chapter Summary: **Lightning realizes the dangers of champagne when it gets combined with Noel Kreiss' company.

**A/N:** I would like to thank beren, AnonymouslyResearched, and claireaveria for their reviews. I would also like to thank those that follow and favorite this story. This chapter is for you guys. Without you three, I would think this story had gotten abandon by all you readers. ((Not an intentional guilt trip, but I recognize it is one all the same. I apologize. I'm not erasing it though.))

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((This story happens about an hour after The Next Contestant.))

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Noel laid back on his bed. His hands cradled the back of his head; his legs were crossed at his ankles. His blue eyes were fixed on the ceiling as he went over everything that had occurred during the night. His jealousy, the way Lightning seemed to react to him, and the sudden realization of his crush were all at the forefront of his mind. It had started as his natural curiosity about the woman who had given him hope. Each meeting had made Lightning seen so mysterious. By the end of his journey, Lightning had fully enticed him. The urge to get to know her had drove him to speak to her. Serah's distraction with Snow had lead him to spending more time with Lightning. The steady friendship he had established with her seemed to have melted into something potentially romantic without his notice; but she had noticed, he realized. That subtle shift in their relationship had been the reason she was avoiding him. The blushes he had seen stain her cheeks made more sense now. He furrowed his eyebrows. _'But does it mean she has a crush on me as well…or…does being in my presence make her uncomfortable now?' _

"Did the ceiling somehow offend you?" He heard. Noel ignored his heart's sudden jump in rate as he looked away from the ceiling toward Lightning. She was leaning against the doorframe. Her arms crossed over her chest. She had ditched the dress in favor of sweatpants and a baggy grey, scoop necked T-shirt. The wide neckline dipped off her leaning shoulder. The curls had been drown out of her hair. It now fell down in its natural style, but water still dripped off of the ends onto her T-shirt. _'Gorgeous…_' He thought as he propped up onto his elbows.

"Nah. I was just lost in thought," Noel told her. He tilted his head to the side. "Have a nice night?" He hadn't been able to grab her for another dance. After Gadot had released her, Snow had pulled her into a dance. Serah had pulled him to the dance floor. The dance with Serah had distracted him from Lightning; that distraction had been costly. Yuj had asked her for a dance the moment Snow had left her in favor of asking Lebreau for a dance. Serah had passed him to Stella-the once unknown woman who had smiled at him. The night only ended when Snow and Serah left for their honeymoon.

"It was nice. Snow is surprisingly graceful for being as large as he is," Lightning told him as she pushed off the doorframe. She studied him as she walked forward. Like herself, Noel had taken off the formal wear. He wore a deep blue T-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. His feet were bare; and from what she could see, he had put on the leather wrap and ring again. Noel smiled and shook his head slightly in amusement. "Yuj was so nervous that he stared at our feet the entire time." She sank down onto the end of his bed near his ankles. She crossed her legs and faced him.

"What was your favorite dance of the night?" Noel asked, truly curious. He had seen her dance with Maqui after Yuj. The younger man had pulled her into a rather silly dance. It was the first time the entire night that he didn't feel disappointed. Lightning's laughing, embarrassed face had been a highlight of the night. The joyful light in her blue-green eyes had captivated him. He would not be disappointed or surprised if she said Maqui. He watched as her cheeks turned red again. He couldn't smother the small cocky smile that slipped onto his lips. He already loved that he had this effect on her. The blush died down as she thought through her night.

"I'm ashamed to say, Maqui was…."

"Well, I got amusement from watching," Noel said as he laid back down onto the pillow. He folded his arms underneath his head again. Lightning glared playfully at him. He smiled in return. Lightning snorted.

"I got amusement out of watching you dodge Stella," Lightning comment with a small smirk. After that one dance, Stella had taken it upon herself to hunt Noel down. Noel had been attempting to avoid her to keep from being sexual harassed again. She was lying about the amusement, of course; he didn't need to know that though. She had wanted to stomp over, rip Stella's hands off of him, and then preferably beat her with them. Noel shifted uncomfortably at the memory of that horrible dance.

"Fair enough," Noel let her have that one. A small silence fell over them for a moment. Lightning shifted from her cross-legged position. She curled her legs to the left of her hips. Her feet brushed against Noel's ankle. Noel stared at her in the silence. His mind returned to his previous line of thought. _'She doesn't seem uncomfortable around me. In fact, I'd say she is more relaxed than I have ever seen her…'_ Lightning could feel his eyes on her. She swallowed as the large amounts of champagne she had consumed during the night whispered dangerous thoughts in her ear: _"Just lean forward and kiss him. Judging from his behavior tonight, he wouldn't protest much. If he did, you could just...persuade him." _She shook her head roughly to dispel the alcohol induced thoughts.

"Lightning?" Noel leaned back onto his elbows. Lightning looked back at him. The alcohol whispered louder: "_JUST DO IT! You'll never get another chance like this!" _Noel tilted his head. He was getting truly worried about her now. Lightning bit into her lip. "Are you alright?" He asked. Lightning shook her head.

"I'm just going to…" She whispered. She moved to rise, but Noel panicked. Something about this reminded him too much of the days before she avoided him. He didn't want that to happen again. Lightning tensed as his hand curled around her wrist. _"Do it,"_ the champagne whispered.

"Just tell me what's wrong…" Noel suggested. Lightning swallowed as the request dug into her. She hadn't thought of how badly her ignoring him would affect him. The more she thought about it, the more it looked cruel. He had been the last man on earth. With Snow and Serah so involved with one another, her silence must have driven him insane. "Did I make you uncomfortable?" Lightning chuckled at the question.

"You could never make me uncomfortable, Kreiss…" She said.

"Then why are you trying to leave?" Noel demanded. Lightning looked over her shoulder at him. His blue eyes were piercing as they stared into hers. _"Yes, why?"_ Champagne whispered again, _"he's practically begging you to stay…"_ The poor combination of alcohol and Noel's eyes drove her to do something very stupid.

Noel loosened his hold on her wrist as she turned toward him. Relief swamped him. She was going to talk to him instead of running this time. Lightning fell to the alcohol's whispers. She darted forward quickly and pecked him gently on the lips. Noel's eyes widened. Lightning darted away as she realized what she had just done. His lips fell open slightly. Lightning headed toward the door before he could compose himself. The wind from her departure snapped him out of his shock. He scrambled from the bed and darted out of the door after her. His last thought before he hit the hallway outside was _'Well…I guess that answered my questions…'_


	9. Worth the Wait

**Try Me**

**9. Worth the Wait**

**Chapter Summary: **After the kiss, Noel becomes petrified that Lightning would pull away from him. She had fully intended to do so, but Noel isn't going to let that happen. He will do anything to convince her to give him a chance.

**A/N: **I would like to thank all of those who follow and/or favorite this story. I would also like to thank Deviling, beren, claireaveria, fan (guest), Amaya Verascola, and TheCrystalFlame for their reviews on the last chapter.

* * *

Lightning had made it as far as her bedroom door when Noel caught up with her. She slammed the door in his face and leaned against it. He knocked hard.

"Lightning!" He called through the door. Lightning close her eyes and fought off the urge to sink down to the floor. She couldn't believe she had done that. _'Stupid alcohol…I'm never drinking again!'_ It wasn't just the alcohol's fault, she knew that. She couldn't blame it on Noel's blue eyes either. It was her lack of self-control.

The silence on the other side of the door was nerve-racking for Noel. He slammed his fist against the door hard. Lightning let out a small, almost inaudible gasp. He sighed and splayed his fingertips out over the door.

"Light…you kissed me," he whispered through the door. Lightning fought off a slight snort at the obvious statement.

"Really, I thought it was my doppelganger…"Lightning muttered quietly. She defaulted back to her fail-proof protection system: sarcasm and biting comments. It was safer than facing rejection she just knew what coming.

Noel ignored the comment. "We can't just ignore it…and…" he leaned his forehead against the door. He willed her not to ignore his next statement. "I don't really want too." Lightning gasped. Her blue-green eyes widened in shock. "…I want to talk about it. I want to know when all of this started for you…because I know when it snuck up on me." Lightning willed her tense body to cooperate. She was going to have to let him in. Lightning pushed herself off of the door and turned. Her fingertips brushed the cold metal of the doorknob. This was what she had wanted, after all…but what he really ready? It was that wonder that made her freeze. Noel could sense that a change had taken place. He prayed that it was positive as he forced his nerves down. "I didn't notice that my feelings for you had changed…but you saw it before me, didn't you? That's why you avoided me." Lightning shook her head from behind the door. The change in his feelings wasn't the reason…she was afraid of her own. "Lightning…will you please let me in?" His eyes widened in surprise as the door just opened. Lightning gave him no warning. He fell forward on top of her. Lightning gave a small "oomph" as she touched her hands to his waist. "Sorry," he muttered as he righted himself. His waist slowly slid from behind her hands. They fell limply to her sides with him there. Her hands tingled as much as his sides did. For a moment, they simply stood there and stared at one another. The spell was broken when Noel shifted onto his right foot.

"I wasn't avoiding you because I noticed your…feelings…had changed." Lightning glanced away from him, "I was afraid of my own. You were…_are _too important." Noel's heart was hammering as he listened to her. He was afraid. The way Lightning spoke…it was as if they had no chance.

"Light," he slipped his fingers underneath her chin. He angled her chin so that her eyes would have to choice to meet his. Lightning blushed, but she couldn't pull back. The grip he had on her chin prevented it. "Give this a chance. _Try me_. _Try us_." She was trapped by his blue eyes. Those stressed words, his pleadings made her heart race. Noel licked his lips. He was getting through to her. His heart hammered so strongly in his chest that he feared she could hear it. "Even if it doesn't work out, I'm not going anywhere. _I promise_." Lightning closed her eyes and swallowed. This was what she wanted to hear…so, why was she so reluctant? _'Because it was devastate me if we didn't work…I'm already so emotionally invested in him…I don't want to chance the pain…' _Lightning's eyes popped up as Noel's hand left her chin and cupped the side of her neck. The leather wrap around his forearm brushed against her neck as his fingers tangled in her hair. He pressed his forehead against hers. His nose brushed hers as he whispered, "Please…_don't give up on me_. Not before we even start…We'll be fine. You'll see. Just say yes…" He was pleading with her. Lightning swallowed. She felt the familiar sting of tears behind her blue-green eyes, but she didn't look away from his eyes.

_ Lightning glanced at the man that still had his gentle, calloused hands on her shoulders. She could feel the smooth metal of his ring against her bare shoulder. His blue eyes implored her to lie back down before she injured herself further._ He had cared for her when she had been a complete stranger to him and he hadn't stopped.

_"You sure you don't want to back out now?" Lightning offered one last time just to rile him. _

"_Try me," he whispered._ He had shown then that he wouldn't back down from her. He had shown it so many times since then.

"…_we aren't leaving this room until you tell me what in the hell it is that I've done wrong," Noel said as he crossed his arms over his chest._ He wouldn't let her run from him. He would stay and make certain that they had worked their problems out. He wouldn't run just because things got hard.

_He was on his feet before her leg could fully come down, but unlike Snow he hadn't rolled. He caught her thigh in his right hand and trapped it against his hip before her foot could cause a lot of pain to his stomach. The skin on skin contact caused her to forget all other course of action for a moment. His hand was warm and calloused against her thigh. The cold feel of his ring and the rough feel of his leather wrap warred against her senses. His belts pressed against the skin of her leg. _He could keep up with her; his very touch ignited a passion within that she had never felt before. All of the reasons for her to say yes were there.

_"He's not ready…" _She had been ready to wait until he was. She had thought him worth the wait, worth the pain then. So, was he still worth it now?

"Yes," Lightning whispered. Noel's blue eyes lit up. He pulled her closer out of reflex. Lightning stumbled forward. Her hands returned to his waist so that she could steady herself. Her eyes never left his.

"Really?" Noel breathed. Lightning smiled slightly and nodded. His elated reaction convinced her of one thing: she wouldn't let her fear get in the way anymore.

"Really." He smiled widely. Before Lightning could return it, he kissed her. There were no sparks, just overwhelming tingling warmth spreading through her veins. Lightning curled her hands around the fabric of his T-shirt. She kissed him back. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He pulled his lips away from hers. Lightning suppressed a small whine of disappointment. He smiled down at her warmly.

"I'll make sure you that you never regret it…" Noel promised as he leaned back down. Lightning stood on her tiptoes and met him. Her hands left his shirt in favor of his shoulders. The intensity of their kiss grew as Noel attempted to pour all of his passion for her into the kiss. He only pulled away when the need for air became too great. He rested his forehead on hers as both of them caught their breath.

"Well, you're off to an amazing start…" Lightning informed him. He chuckled as pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"Good to know…"A silence fell over them. Slowly, he unraveled his arms from around her waist and she dropped her arms from around his neck. What were they to do now? Neither of them had been in a successful, normal relationship before. Noel's time with Yeul was always so limited. They had been so rushed. Lightning had never been in a relationship before period; Serah had always come first.

Both debated on whether or not he should stay the night. Noel was afraid that if he left something horrible would happen. He was afraid that if he left Lightning would change her mind, but he was also worried that she would think he wanted sex. Which he did, but that could wait. He looked up at her. She was nibbling her bottom lip and looking off to the side. That could wait until he proved to her that he wasn't kidding.

Lightning was afraid that she would wake up in the morning to find this to be all a dream induced by too much champagne. He surprised her by wrapped a hand around hers. She looked up at him and threaded her fingers between his.

"Stay…" Lightning whispered. Noel nodded. She didn't need to explain.

Minutes later, Lightning held the cover back so that he could slip underneath it with her. She curled up beside him with her head on his biceps. Both drifted off to sleep with a content smile. There would be no Serah creaking open the door. There would be no Snow critically analyzing their every move. In the morning, it would just be Noel and Lightning. For a week, it would just be Noel and Lightning with no unnecessary disturbances.


	10. Finally!

**Try Me**

**Chapter 10  
Finally!**

**Disclaimer:: **Square Enix owns the Final Fantasy trilogy.

**Chapter Summary:**

**A/N:: **Thank you** claireaveria, beren, **and** TheCyrstalFlame **for reviewing the last chapter.** Claireaveria**, I would also like to thank you for being so…dedicated (?) to this story. If you hadn't reviewed I probably would have forgotten about it. See, authors need reviewers to remind them. I didn't realize that I had **35** reviews. You guys are **awesome**!

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A delicious scent wafting into her bedroom woke Lightning up. Slowly, she sat up and ran a hand through her hair. Noel was gone and the space he had occupied was cold. Disappointment swamped through her. She let her hand fall into her lap with a slap and sighed. _'Did you honestly expect him to be there when you woke up?' _Came the mocking voice of her cynical half. She looked toward the clock on her bedside table. It read six a.m. _'Well, yeah…'_ She answered that voice as she saw the time. The sun had only just risen. Lightning sighed and slipped from the bed. She didn't bother changing from her pajamas; she simply followed the appetizing smell.

Noel glanced up at her from the kitchen table. He was dressed in his usual blue outfit that looked so damn good on him. Lightning forced herself not to ogle him and pay attention to what he was doing. He had been transferring the pancakes onto a plate for them when she appeared. He smiled.

"I got take out," he informed her as if she couldn't tell by the Styrofoam containers on the kitchen table. Lightning raised her hand and ran it through her pink hair.

"Thanks," Lightning sighed as she walked toward him. She let her hand fall limply to her side. Her bare feet padded lightly against the white tile as she walked.

As they sat across from one another at the table, Lightning's mind raced. How was she too act around him? Were they just going to act as though everything was normal? Like a colossal change in their relationship hadn't happened last night? She bit into her bottom lip. She had no idea to act. She had never been in a relationship before.

Noel glanced over at her as he pulled two forks out of the drawer. A small smile came to his lips. He walked over to her left shoulder and extended her fork down to her. Just as she reached for it, he swooped down and kissed her cheek. A startled gasp escaped her lips. Noel was across from her before she could fully comprehend what happened. She smiled softly and glanced up at him. He simply raised his eyebrows at her and cut into his pancakes with his fork.

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(A Week Later)

* * *

Lightning glanced away from the pages of her book. She reclined back. Her shoulder blades were pressed against the arm of the couch. Her legs were bent at the knee, one over the other. The clock on their wall ticked one p.m. Serah and Snow would be coming home at three. Despite how much Lightning loved her sister and Snow, she couldn't help but be disappointed that they were coming home. The past week had been Noel and her. She had enjoyed spending time with just him. They had learned so much more about one another than they knew before.

Warm, familiar fingertips slid across her bare shoulders and came to a stop at her spaghetti strap. At his touch, reading was instantly forgotten. His hand cupped her shoulder; and a warm kiss was planted on the side of her neck. Lightning tilted her head to the side. Noel rested his chin on her shoulder. His dark brown hair tickled her neck.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

"Nothing now," Lightning returned with a small smile. Noel hummed and moved away from her. The cool air of the house made goosebumps rise where his warmth used to be. He tapped her ankle with his fingertips. Lightning lifted her legs up off of the cushion. Noel sat down. She laid her legs across his lap.

"Since you aren't reading anything," Noel said teasingly, "you wanna spar with me?" He asked. Lightning was distracted by his fingertips roaming up from her ankle and back down from her knee. Just as she was about to give her answer, the front door to their home opened. Noel leaned his head back to see the front door. "You're home early," Noel stated. Surprise obvious in his tone. Lightning slid her legs off of his and sat up. Serah and Snow were walking through the front door.

"Only by an hour," Snow said. He shared a small look with his wife. Why would an hour earlier matter? A small mischievous grin stretched across his lips. "Why did we _interrupt_ something?" It was hard to miss what he meant. Noel and Lightning shared a look from where they sat on the couch. Noel had laid his hand over her ankle at the opening of the door. Both Noel and Lightning knew that they were much closer than they had been when Snow and Serah left. Lightning smirked at Noel.

"Neither of you won the bet," Lightning said ambiguously as she pulled her leg out from underneath Noel's hand. He smiled at his girlfriend and stood up along with her. It took Snow and Serah a minute for it to click. By the time it did, the week old couple had already escaped the room. Snow cursed at the aspect of losing the bet while Serah simply squealed happily.

"Finally!"

Inside Noel's room, Lightning and he shared a small smile. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

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**(A/N: **Alas, this is the final chapter to Try Me. I thank all of you that stuck with me for this long. I have more Noel/Lightning stories to come. "Saving Me" is probably going to be my next one. Only it'll be under Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.**)**


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